Abstract: Recent results emphasize the supportive effects of adipose-derived multipotent stem/progenitor cells (ADSPCs) in peripheral nerve recovery. Cultivation under hypoxia is considered to enhance the release of the regenerative potential of ADSPCs. This study aimed to examine whether peripheral nerve regeneration in a rat model of autologous sciatic nerve graft benefits from an additional custom-made fibrin conduit seeded with hypoxic pre-conditioned (2% oxygen for 72 hours) autologous ADSPCs (n = 9). This treatment mode was compared with three others: fibrin conduit seeded with ADSPCs cultivated under normoxic conditions (n = 9); non-cell-carrying conduit (n = 9); and nerve autograft only (n = 9). A 16-week follow-up included functional testing (sciatic functional index and static sciatic index) as well as postmortem muscle mass analyses and morphometric nerve evaluations (histology, g-ratio, axon density, and diameter). At 8 weeks, the hypoxic pre-conditioned group achieved significantly higher sciatic functional index/static sciatic index scores than the other three groups, indicating faster functional regeneration. Furthermore, histologic evaluation showed significantly increased axon outgrowth/branching, axon density, remyelination, and a reduced relative connective tissue area. Hypoxic pre-conditioned ADSPCs seeded in fibrin conduits are a promising adjunct to current nerve autografts. Further studies are needed to understand the underlying cellular mechanism and to investigate a potential application in clinical practice.

Key words: adipose-derived progenitor cells, adipose-derived multipotent stem/progenitor cell, autologous nerve graft, fibrin conduit, hypoxia, hypoxic pre-conditioning, nerve defect, nerve tissue engineering, peripheral nerve regeneration, regenerative medicine