0000000000718827
AUTHOR
Riccardo E. Giunta
Non-viral VEGF(165) gene therapy--magnetofection of acoustically active magnetic lipospheres ('magnetobubbles') increases tissue survival in an oversized skin flap model.
Abstract Adenoviral transduction of the VEGF gene in an oversized skin flap increases flap survival and perfusion. In this study, we investigated the potential of magnetofection of magnetic lipospheres containing VEGF165-cDNA on survival and perfusion of ischemic skin flaps and evaluated the method with respect to the significance of applied magnetic field and ultrasound. We prepared perfluoropropane-filled magnetic lipospheres (‘magnetobubbles’) from Tween60-coated magnetic nanoparticles, Metafectene, soybean-oil and cDNA and studied the effect in an oversized random-pattern-flap model in the rats (n= 46). VEGF-cDNA-magnetobubbles were administered under a magnetic field with simultaneousl…
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Gene Therapy Promotes Nerve Regeneration in a Sciatic Nerve Graft Model in Rats
: Incomplete nerve regeneration after injuries to the peripheral nervous system remains a significant problem in clinical routine and raises the need for supportive strategies. In this study we examined the effect of VEGF-gene therapy on nerve recovery after an auto-graft implantation in a 2 cm sciatic nerve defect model in 18 rats, using an adenoviral vector encoding for VEGF165 (AdCMV.VEGF 165 ) for gene transduction. Functional recovery was assessed weekly by gait analyses of the rats’ hind limbs. Morphometric evaluation including histology, axon counts, motor neuron counts and corrosion casting was carried out 18 weeks post-op. VEGF-treated animals contained a higher proportion of large…
Studying nerve transfers: Searching for a consensus in nerve axons count
Axonal count is the base for efficient nerve transfer; despite its capital importance, few studies have been published on human material, most research approaches being performed on experimental animal models of nerve injury. Thus, standard analysis methods are still lacking. Quantitative data obtained have to be reproducible and comparable with published data by other research groups. To share results with the scientific community, the standardization of quantitative analysis is a fundamental step. For this purpose, the experiences of the Italian, Austrian, German, Greek, and Iberian-Latin American groups have been compared with each other and with the existing literature to reach a consen…