The blood-nerve barrier and reconstitution of the perineurium following nerve grafting

Abstract

Sural nerve autografts were performed on intact rat sural nerves and on sural nerves excised proximal to the site of grafting. The effect of the presence or absence of regenerating axons upon reconstitution of the perineurium at the graft junctions and upon re-establishment of the blood-nerve barrier to horseradish peroxidase (HRP) were studied over the succeeding 3--24 weeks. Compartmentation of the nerve fascicle occurred at the graft junctions where the perineurium was damaged. Each compartment contained Schwann cells with or without axons and was surrounded by elongated fibroblast-like cells which resembled perineurial cells in the longer surviving animals. It was concluded that, (a) compartments form in a nerve at the site of perineurial damage even in the absence of axons; (b) although compartmentation may be a mechanism for perineurial regeneration and reconstitution of the blood-nerve barrier, blood vessels and the cell layers forming compartments at graft junctions remain permeable to HRP for at least 6 months; and (c) the intact perineurium around the distal stump of a denervated nerve is permeable to HRP but the endoneurial blood vessels are not.