Fig. 3

PEG-fusion of PNAs from SD donors to SD (outbred) recipients promote axonal fusion and accelerated recovery after segmental PNI. A CAP (mV) recordings of intact sciatic nerve (Unop: black solid line) stimulated near the spinal cord and recorded distal to the PNA after ablating a 1 cm segment, insertion of a slightly longer donor segment without (NC: orange dashed line) or with PEG-fusion (PEG: blue solid line). SA = stimulus artifact. CAP arrow = peak amplitude. B CMAP recordings using same stimulating protocols as CAPs, but recorded from the tibialis anterior muscle. C Intra-axonal dye diffusion of Texas Red at 1-day PO in a NC (top) or PEG-fused (bottom) sciatic nerve. Arrows point to proximal cut end of host sciatic nerve microsutured to proximal end of donor PN. D SFI scores vs post-lesion time from rats that are Sham Controls, NC single cut PNAs, and PEG-fused single cut or PNAs. E, H Unoperated, F, I PEG-fused and G, J NC TEM, E–G and IHC H–J images of distal sciatic nerves and NMJs at 42-day post PEG-fusion of PNAs. K PEG-fusion nerve repair improved outcomes and speed of nerve recovery in the clinical setting as assessed by average MRCC score. The time course and extent of the clinical recovery of two-point discrimination (2PD) is similar to that reported for SFI behavioral recovery in rats when both are plotted on the same graph