Mehrnaz Moattari - Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Biological Science, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
Farhnaz Moattari - Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, Iran
Gholamreza Kaka - Neuroscience Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Background and Aim : Inflammation and oxidative stress are considered to be important physiological conditions associated with the development of sciatic nerve injury. There have been attempts to alter the status of severest sciatic nerve injury in different investigations, but none of which have reliably altered the outcome. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/antioxidant response element (ARE) signaling pathway plays an important role in the central nervous system.Methods : Thirty rats of severely damaged sciatic nerve have been operated for end-to-end suture and reconstruction of the sciatic nerve using SCs and Chitosan/poly ethylene oxide (Cs/PEO). Cs/PEO serves to maintain the position of the SCs. An average of 5 × 104 of non-autologous Wharon s jelly SCs. Total RNA was extracted from tissues using TRIzol, according to the manufacturer’s instructions to analysis of Nrf2 expression. Data are presented as specific ratio between the gene of interest and the reference gene (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, GAPDH) normalized to vehicle-treated group (control).Results : Nrf2/ARE pathway was found to mediate Akt-enhanced nerve growth factor-induced axon growth. Our results showed that mRNA expression of Nrf2 was increased by real-time PCR compared to control and sham groups (p < 0.05).Conclusion : Using a mixture of SCs and Chitosan/Poly ethylene Oxide (Cs/PEO) as a synthetic scaffold had the neuro-protective effects after SNI-induced oxidative stress and inflammatory response was mediated by activation of Nrf2.

Synthetic scaffold; Non-autologous stem cells;Sciatic nerve injury