Journal: Science Advances
Article Title: Vasculogenic tissue nanotransfection accelerates functional recovery after peripheral nerve injury
doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aeb7631
Figure Lengend Snippet: ( A ) Schematic representation and images illustrating vasculogenic TNT applied to isografts to induce vascular tissue formation, which guides axonal regeneration, followed by functional outcome measurements over a 13-week period. Segmental nerves (1-cm isografts) from donor mice were dissected, treated with TNT using EFF 1:1:2 or sham, and sutured into the nerve gap of genetically identical recipient mice. Before nerve grafting, TNT was applied to the proximal and distal stumps of the sciatic nerve in the recipient mice. Experimental groups included mice treated with sham or EFF 1:1:2 TNT, grafting without TNT (graft only), mice subjected to a 1-cm graft dissection without repair (cut no repair), and uninjured control mice. ( B ) Hindlimb grip strength significantly increased in the EFF TNT-treated group compared to the sham TNT and graft-only groups, initiating at week 8 and progressing through week 13. The cut no repair group failed to regain strength throughout the 13-week period. ( C ) In vivo muscle contractility assessment showed a significant increase in twitch torque in the EFF TNT group compared to sham TNT group at week 10 and compared to the graft only group at weeks 10 and 13. ( D ) Similarly, the EFF TNT group exhibited a significantly elevated tetanic torque compared to other groups at week 13, further suggesting enhanced muscle recovery and strength ( n = 6 per group). All error bars are shown as SEM. # denotes significant difference with respect to the control, δ denotes significant difference with respect to cut no repair, and * denotes significant difference with respect to another group. δ and * with a P value < 0.05. Two-way ANOVA. Created in BioRender. A. Salazar (2026); https://BioRender.com/yn3s2jn .
Article Snippet: For muscle contractility testing, mice were placed in a supine position on the platform to first assess the right hindlimb using an in vivo muscle contractility system (Aurora Scientific Inc., Canada Model 1300A Muscle).
Techniques: Functional Assay, Dissection, Control, In Vivo