{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,19]],"date-time":"2026-07-19T15:47:45Z","timestamp":1784476065551,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":63,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"14","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,21]],"date-time":"2025-07-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1753056000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"K\u00fctahya Health Sciences University, Faculty of Medicine","award":["TSA-2020-27"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["TSA-2020-27"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Polymers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Nerve injuries cause functional loss and psychosocial issues due to prolonged rehabilitation. Recently, 3D-modeled nerve conduits have been used to aid in surgical planning. This study investigated the impact of 3D-bioprinted PLA, chitosan, alginate, and collagen conduits on nerve regeneration in a rat sciatic nerve crush injury model. Methods: This study, conducted at K\u00fctahya University of Health Sciences, involves 50 rats were divided into four groups: (1) sham-operated controls, (2) sciatic nerve injury without treatment, (3) injury treated with a PLA conduit, and (4) injury treated with 3D-printed tubes composed of chitosan and alginate. The procedures were performed, blood was collected, and the rats were sacrificed after two months. Weekly checks for infection, scar healing, and motor responses were performed. Results: Rats with nerve conduits showed less macroscopic scarring. Weekly assessments of motor nerve recovery showed no movement restrictions in limbs treated with PLA conduits, graft conduits, or conduits bridging retracted nerve stumps, based on responses to stimulus checks. An infection developed in the sciatic nerve and surrounding muscle tissue of one rat with a bio-graft conduit, prompting histopathological examination to investigate its cause. Conclusions: This proof-of-principle study demonstrates the feasibility of using 3D-printed biocompatible nerve conduits for peripheral nerve repair, providing a basis for future, more comprehensive investigations.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/polym17141992","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,21]],"date-time":"2025-07-21T07:56:14Z","timestamp":1753084574000},"page":"1992","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["In Vivo Study on 3D-Printed Polylactic Acid Nerve Tubes for Sciatic Nerve Injury Treatment"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Salih","family":"Kavuncu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Medical Faculty, Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University, 03030 Afyonkarahisar, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7688-367X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rauf","family":"Hamid","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, 34320 Istanbul, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"\u00d6mer Faruk","family":"Sar\u0131ahmeto\u011flu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, 34320 Istanbul, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"229","DOI":"10.1016\/S0006-8993(03)02699-4","article-title":"Valproic acid enhances axonal regeneration and recovery of motor function after sciatic nerve axotomy in adult rats","volume":"975","author":"Cui","year":"2003","journal-title":"Brain Res."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"267","DOI":"10.1055\/s-2008-1078696","article-title":"Enhanced rat sciatic nerve regeneration through silicon tubes implanted with valproic acid","volume":"24","author":"Wu","year":"2008","journal-title":"J. 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