Delivery of Interleukin-4–Encoding Lentivirus Using Multiple-Channel Bridges Enhances Nerve Regeneration

Abstract

Objectives/Hypothesis: Facial nerve injury is a source of major morbidity. This study investigated the neuroregenerative effects of inducing an anti-inflammatory environment when reconstructing a facial nerve defect with a multichannel bridge containing interleukin-4 (IL-4)–encoding lentivirus. Study Design: Animal study. Methods: Eighteen adult Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups, all of which sustained a facial nerve gap defect. Group I had reconstruction performed via an IL-4 multichannel bridge, group II had a multichannel bridge with saline placed, and group III had no reconstruction. Results: Quantitative histomorphometric data were assessed 10 weeks after injury. On post hoc analysis, the IL-4 bridge group demonstrated superior regeneration compared to bridge alone on fiber density (mean = 2,380 ± 297 vs. 1,680 ± 441 fibers/mm2, P =.05) and latency time (mean = 2.9 ms ± 0.6 ms vs. 3.6 ms ± 0.3 ms, P