BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of negative pressure therapy in the regeneration of the rabbit sciatic nerve using vacuum assisted closure (VAC).

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty male New Zealand white rabbits underwent surgical injury of the sciatic nerve, followed by negative pressure therapy using vacuum assisted closure (VAC), in three treatment groups: Group A: 0 kPa; Group B: –20 kPa; Group C: –40 kPa. At 12 weeks following surgery, the following factors were studied: motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV); the number of myelinated nerve fibers; the wet weight of the gastrocnemius muscle. Gastrocnemius muscle and sciatic nerve tissue samples were studied for the expression of S100, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) using Western blot.

RESULTS: At 12 weeks following VAC treatment, the MNCV, number of myelinated nerve fibers, and wet weight of the gastrocnemius muscle showed significant differences between the groups (p<0.05), in the following order: Group B >Group A >Group C. The sciatic nerve at 12 weeks following VAC in Group B and Group C showed a significant increase in expression of S100 and BDNF when compared with Group A; no significant differences were detected between Group B and Group C results from Western blot at 12 weeks.

CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study, using negative pressure therapy in VAC in a rabbit model of sciatic nerve damage, have shown that moderate negative pressure was beneficial, but high values did not benefit sciatic nerve repair.

Keywords: Contingent Negative Variation, S100 Proteins, Wound Healing