Early spatiotemporal progress of myelinated nerve fiber regenerating through biological chitin conduit after injury.

Chitin conduits to bridge nerve injuries with a small gap (2 mm) give us a biological window in which the peripheral nerve regeneration process can be observed. In this study, the regeneration process was observed on different intervals postoperatively. Histological analysis revealed that the early regeneration process occurred in three phase: degeneration and matrix phase, axonal and Schwann migration phase, myelination and maturation phase. Schwann cells grew into the lumen from both the proximal and distal nerve segments. Axonal regrowth progressed at an average rate of 1.4 mm/d. Regenerating axonal fibers were myelinated by Schwann cells from both sides of the conduit.