Functional and regenerative effects of local administration of autologous mononuclear bone marrow cells combined with silicone conduit on transected femoral nerve of rabbits

The inoculation of cells into injury sites can accelerate and improve the quality of nerve regeneration. This study aimed to evaluate the functional and regenerative effects of mononuclear autologous bone marrow cells (MABMC) combined with silicon conduit grafting in rabbit femoral nerves. Twenty-eight animals were allocated to one of two groups: treatment group (TG) or control group (CG), divided according to the time of evaluation, at either 50 or 75days. After neurotmesis of the femoral nerve, surgical repair was performed with nerve autografts in silicon conduits, leaving a 5mm gap in both groups. The TG received MABMC in silicon conduits, and CG received a sham saline inoculum. Histological, clinical and electrophysiological analyses detected no differences between groups, but analysis of leg diameter showed that TG diameters were larger. This cell therapy did not improve regeneration of the femoral nerve, but there was a tendency for better functional recovery. •We investigated the cell therapy in the peripheral nerve regeneration in a rabbit model.•We used different histological techniques, clinical assessment and electrophysiology.•Only the thickness of the limb was significantly higher with cell therapy.•This cell therapy was a tendency for better functional recovery.