Neuroma following nerve injury and/or amputation is a debilitating condition with significant impacts on quality of life. Several approaches exist to prevent or treat neuroma and/or reduce associated pain; however, these approaches are not consistently effective, facile, or widely accessible. The present study characterizes a xenogeneic nerve cap graft device (NCGD) composed of decellularized porcine nerve. The NCGD was assessed for its ability to inhibit nerve growth, neuroma formation, and pain in rodent models of sciatic neurectomy and tibial neuroma transposition. The NCGD provided a neuroinhibitory substrate that abated and interrupted nerve growth within 5 mm of the nerve stump and was progressively remodeled into healthy host-derived tissue. The NCGD also resulted in a 3.5-fold reduction in evoked pain and a decrease in pain-associated markers at the dorsal root ganglia. These results suggest that the NCGD may provide a simple and widely accessible alternative for prophylactic treatment of symptomatic neuroma.

The ability to reinnervate a muscle in the absence of a viable nerve stump is a challenging clinical scenario. Direct muscle neurotization (DMN) is an approach to overcome this obstacle; however, success depends on the formation of new muscle endplates, a process, which is often limited due to lack of appropriate axonal pathfinding cues. This study explored the use of a porcine nerve extracellular matrix hydrogel as a neuroinductive interface between nerve and muscle in a rat DMN model. The goal of the study was to establish whether such hydrogel can be used to improve neuromuscular function in this model.

Nerve transection is the most common form of peripheral nerve injury. Treatment of peripheral nerve injury has primarily focused on stabilization and mechanical cues to guide extension of the regenerating growth cone across the site of transection. The authors investigated the effects of a peripheral nerve matrix (PNM) hydrogel on recovery after nerve transection.

Neuroma formation following limb amputation is a prevalent and debilitating condition that can deeply affect quality of life and productivity. Several approaches exist to prevent or treat neuromas; however, no approach is either consistently reliable or surgically facile, with high rates of neuroma occurrence and/or recurrence. The present study describes the development and testing of a xenogeneic nerve cap graft made from decellularized porcine nerve.

While the peripheral nervous system has the inherent ability to recover following injury, results are often unsatisfactory, resulting in permanent functional deficits and disability. Therefore, methods that enhance regeneration are of significant interest. The present study investigates an injectable nerve-tissue-specific hydrogel as a biomaterial for nerve regeneration in a rat nerve crush model.