Recently, Tantalum (Ta) has been re-explored and used with bone implants to promote bone regeneration. It has previously been extensively used as a nerve suture material; however, its use was abandoned because of the formation of scar tissue. In this study, we constructed a nerve conduit made of poly (L-lactic acid) PLA (outer layer) and tantalum Ta (inner layer) to evaluate its efficiency in the promotion of peripheral nerve regeneration. MATERIALS AND METHODS First, we conducted an in vitro study to evaluate the viability and proliferation of Schwann cells and rat pheocromocytoma (PC-12) cells on Ta-PLA sheets using Enhanced Cell Viability Assay Kit (EZ-CYTOX). An in vivo study was then performed using Sprague Dawley rats that were randomly divided into the following three groups: sham, PLA, and Ta-PLA nerve conduits. The nerve conduit was placed over a 10-mm gap of the rat sciatic nerve to promote nerve regeneration. The rats were observed over 12 wk with weekly sciatic functional index functional assessment. At the end of 12 wk, the nerve regeneration outcome was assessed through dorsal root ganglions (DRG) retrograde neurons labeling, histomorphometric analysis, and histological analysis. RESULTS Thein vitro study showed significant viability and proliferation of Schwann cells in the Ta-PLA group than in the other groups. In the in vivo study, the gross findings revealed well-regenerated neural tissue in both the experimental groups with no scarring. The histological analysis showed that about 50% of the conduits were filled with axons with a higher tendency for peripheral growth in the PLA group than for central growth within the Ta-PLA group conduits. The retrograde labeled neurons were significantly higher in Ta-PLA group than in the PLA group. Ta-PLA showed non-significant difference in the total fibers compared to the sham group. CONCLUSION Tantalum proved favorable for the growth of Schwann cells.In vivo, Ta-PLA nerve conduit induced peripheral nerve regeneration without scar tissue formation.

中文翻译：

---

钽-聚（L-乳酸）神经导管，用于周围神经再生。

最近，钽（Ta）已被重新开发，并与骨植入物一起使用以促进骨再生。以前已被广泛用作神经缝合材料。然而，由于疤痕组织的形成，它的使用被放弃了。在这项研究中，我们构建了由聚（L-乳酸）PLA（外层）和钽Ta（内层）制成的神经导管，以评估其在促进周围神经再生中的效率。材料和方法首先，我们使用增强的细胞活力测定试剂盒（EZ-CYTOX）对Ta-PLA片上的Schwann细胞和大鼠嗜铬细胞瘤（PC-12）细胞的活力和增殖进行了体外研究。然后使用Sprague Dawley大鼠进行了体内研究，该大鼠随机分为以下三组：假手术，PLA和Ta-PLA神经导管。将神经导管放置在大鼠坐骨神经的10毫米间隙上方，以促进神经再生。在每周12周内观察大鼠的坐骨神经功能指数功能评估。在12周结束时，通过背根神经节（DRG）逆行神经元标记，组织形态计量学分析和组织学分析评估神经再生结果。结果体外研究显示，Ta-PLA组的雪旺细胞具有明显的活力和增殖能力。在体内研究中，总体发现显示，两个实验组的神经组织再生良好，没有疤痕。组织学分析表明，大约50％的导管充满了轴突，而PLA组的外周生长趋势比Ta-PLA组导管的中心生长更高。Ta-PLA组的逆行标记神经元明显高于PLA组。与假手术组相比，Ta-PLA的总纤维差异不显着。结论钽对雪旺氏细胞的生长具有促进作用。在体内，Ta-PLA神经导管可诱导周围神经再生，而不会形成瘢痕组织。