Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2019, Vol. 14 ›› Issue (1): 124-131.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.243717

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Olfactory ensheathing cells promote nerve regeneration and functional recovery after facial nerve defects

Jian Gu1, He Xu2, Ya-Ping Xu2, Huan-Hai Liu2, Jun-Tian Lang2, Xiao-Ping Chen3, Wei-Hua Xu3, Yue Deng2, Jing-Ping Fan2   

  1. 1 Department of Otolaryngology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
    2 Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
    3 Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Gongli Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
  • Online:2019-01-15 Published:2019-01-15
  • Contact: Yue Deng, MD, txie1771022@sina.com; Jing-Ping Fan, fanjingping160103@163.com.
  • Supported by:

    This study was supported by the Foundation for Military Medicine, China, No. BWS11J035 (to JPF); the Key Disciplines Group Construction Project of Pudong Health Bureau of Shanghai of China, No. PWZxq2017-09 (to XPC and JPF).

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Abstract:

Olfactory ensheathing cells from the olfactory bulb and olfactory mucosa have been found to increase axonal sprouting and pathfinding and promote the recovery of vibrissae motor performance in facial nerve transection injured rats. However, it is not yet clear whether olfactory ensheathing cells promote the reparation of facial nerve defects in rats. In this study, a collagen sponge and silicone tube neural conduit was implanted into the 6-mm defect of the buccal branch of the facial nerve in adult rats. Olfactory ensheathing cells isolated from the olfactory bulb of newborn Sprague-Dawley rats were injected into the neural conduits connecting the ends of the broken nerves, the morphology and function of the regenerated nerves were compared between the rats implanted with olfactory ensheathing cells with the rats injected with saline. Facial paralysis was assessed. Nerve electrography was used to measure facial nerve-induced action potentials. Visual inspection, anatomical microscopy and hematoxylin-eosin staining were used to assess the histomorphology around the trans¬planted neural conduit and the morphology of the regenerated nerve. Using fluorogold retrograde tracing, toluidine blue staining and lead uranyl acetate staining, we also measured the number of neurons in the anterior exterior lateral facial nerve motor nucleus, the number of myelinated nerve fibers, and nerve fiber diameter and myelin sheath thickness, respectively. After surgery, olfactory ensheathing cells de¬creased facial paralysis and the latency of the facial nerve-induced action potentials. There were no differences in the general morphology of the regenerating nerves between the rats implanted with olfactory ensheathing cells and the rats injected with saline. Between-group results showed that olfactory ensheathing cell treatment increased the number of regenerated neurons, improved nerve fiber morphology, and increased the number of myelinated nerve fibers, nerve fiber diameter, and myelin sheath thickness. In conclusion, implantation of olfactory ensheathing cells can promote regeneration and functional recovery after facial nerve damage in rats.

Key words: nerve regeneration, facial nerve defects, olfactory ensheathing cells, nerve fibers, myelination, neurons, nerve muscle action potentials, facial nerve motor nucleus, neural regeneration