ObjectiveTo explore the mechanisms of perineural invasion (PNI) in pancreatic cancer so as to find a new treatment for pancreatic cancer. MethodsThe literatures on PNI, neurotropism, nerve-tumor microenvironment and nerve growth factor in pancreatic cancer were reviewed and the mechanisms of PNI were summarized. ResultsThe rich innervation of pancreatic tissue itself and the minute slits within perineural structure were the anatomic basis of PNI. Tumor cells expressed neural antigens were the pathological basis of PNI. Tumor-nerve microenvironment and nerve growth factor family and themselves receptors might play an important molecular role in PNI. However, tumor cells expressed neural antigens were not only closely related to the PNI, but also the interaction between tumor cells and nerves played an important role in PNI. ConclusionsThe detailed mechanisms of PNI are extremely complex and controversial up to today. However, it is possible to search a new therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer according to the mechanisms of PNI.
Objective To investigate the promotion effect of neurotropic reinnervation with chemically extracted acellular nerve allograft. Methods The sciatic nerves of 5 healthy adult SD rats, regardless of gender and weighing 270-300 g, were collected to prepare chemically extracted acellular nerve allograft. Eighteen healthy adult Wistar rats, regardless of genderand weighing 300-320 g, were made the model of left sciatic nerve defect (10 mm) and randomly divided into 2 groups: autograft (control group, n=9) and allograft group (experimental group, n=9). The defects were bridged by acellular nerve allograft in experimental group and by autograft by turning over the proximal and distal ends of the nerve in control group. At 3 months after transplantation, dorsal root ganglion (DRG) resection operation was performed in 6 rats of 2 groups. At 3 weeks after operation, the sural nerves were harvested to calculate the misdirection rate of nerve fibers with pathological staining and compute-assisted image analysis. Cholinesterase staining and carbonic anhydrase staining were performed in the sural nerve of 3 rats that did not undergo DRG resection at 3 months. Results The results of chol inesterase staining and carbonic anhydrase staining showed that experimental group had less brown granules and more black granules than control group. After DRG resection, count of myelinated nerve fiber were 4 257 ± 285 in the experimental group and 4 494 ± 310 in the control group significant (P lt; 0.05). The misdirection rate was 2.27% ± 0.28% and 7.65% ± 0.68% in the experimental group and in the control group respectively, showing significant difference (P lt; 0.05). Conclusion Chemically extracted acellular nerve allograft can not only act as a scaffold in the period of nerve defects repair, but markedly enhance the effects of neurotropic reinnervation.