Anatomical and Transcriptomic Profiling of Peripheral Nerve Regeneration Following Crush Injury in a Wistar Rat Model: Implications for Nerve Repair Surgery in West Africa

Peripheral nerve injuries, including crush and laceration injuries from trauma, represent a significant surgical challenge in Nigeria's tertiary hospitals. Successful nerve regeneration following repair depends on a complex interplay of anatomical, cellular, and molecular events that are incompletely characterised in models relevant to West African patient populations. This study aims to develop a comprehensive anatomical and transcriptomic profile of peripheral nerve regeneration following sciatic nerve crush injury in Wistar rats over a 12-week time course. Animals will be sacrificed at weeks 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 post-crush. Nerve histology will be evaluated using haematoxylin and eosin, Luxol fast blue, and S100 immunohistochemistry to assess axonal regeneration, remyelination, and Schwann cell response. Morphometric parameters including axon number, axon diameter, myelin thickness, and g-ratio will be quantified stereologically. RNA sequencing of regenerating nerve segments will identify differentially expressed genes and enriched pathways at each regeneration stage. Functional recovery will be assessed by sciatic functional index. The transcriptomic atlas generated alongside morphometric data will provide a foundational multimodal reference for nerve regeneration biology applicable to optimising nerve repair surgical strategies at tertiary hospitals in West Africa.

Keywords: peripheral nerve regeneration, crush injury, transcriptomics, morphometry, sciatic nerve