Sciatic nerve regeneration with collagen type I hydrogel containing chitosan nanoparticle loaded by insulin

The current study was conducted to promote the extent of peripheral nerve regeneration using a collagen type I hydrogel containing chitosan nanoparticle loaded by insulin. The developed hydrogel increased the proliferation rate of Schwann cells as shown by tetrazolium salt-based assay. For functional analysis, the hydrogel was administrated in the sciatic nerve crush injury of Wistar rats. The results of the sciatic functional index, hot plate latency, compound muscle action potential amplitude and weight-loss percentage of the wet gastrocnemius muscle, indicated that the prepared hydrogel could be considered as a potential material for peripheral nerve regeneration. [GRAPHICS] .