Fig. 6

Functional analysis of the regenerated sciatic nerves and histological assessment of the gastrocnemius muscle. A Representative images of footprints in sham, PNI and EXO groups at 28 days following operation. B Sciatic nerve function index (SFI) analysis in each group at 3 days before operation, 7 days and 14 days following operation. The data are expressed as mean ± SD (n = 5). C Evoked compound muscle actionpotential (CMAP) in each group at 28 days after operation. D Amplitude of CMAP in each group. The data are expressed as mean ± SD (n = 5). E Representative images of harvested gastrocnemius muscles in sham, PNI and EXO groups. F Statistical analysis of weight ratio of gastrocnemius muscle in different groups. The data are expressed as mean ± SD (n = 5). G Hematoxylin eosin (HE) and Masson trichrome staining of gastrocnemius muscle in each group. Scale bar, 20 μm. H Statistical analysis of muscle fiber mean diameter. The data are expressed as mean ± SD (n = 3). ns = not significant, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001