Inhibition of axonal outgrowth accompanied by neuroma formation appears in microsurgical nerve repair as reaction to common microsuture materials like silk, nylon, or polyglycolic acid. In contrast, recent findings revealed advantages of spider silk fibers in guiding Schwann cells in nerve regeneration. Here, we asked if we could braid microsutures from native spider silk fibers. Microsutures braided of native spider dragline silk were manufactured, containing either 2 x 15 or 3 x 10 single fibres strands. Morphologic appearance was studied and tensile strength and stress-strain ratio (SSR) were calculated. The constructed spider silk sutures showed a median thickness of 25 mum, matching the USP definition of 10-0. Maximum load and tensile strength for both spider silk microsutures were significantly more than 2-fold higher than for nylon suture; SSR was 1.5-fold higher. All values except elasticity were higher in 3 x 10 strand sutures compared to 2 x 15 strand sutures, but not significantly. In this pilot study, we demonstrate the successful manufacture of microsutures from spider silk. With regards to the mechanical properties, these sutures were superior to nylon sutures. As spider silk displays high biocompatibility in nerve regeneration, its usage in microsurgical nerve repair should be considered.
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机译：轴突增生伴随神经瘤形成的抑制作用在显微外科手术神经修复中表现为对常见的显微缝合材料（如丝绸，尼龙或聚乙醇酸）的反应。相反，最近的发现揭示了蜘蛛丝纤维在引导神经再生中的Schwann细胞方面的优势。在这里，我们问是否可以用天然蜘蛛丝纤维编织微型缝合线。制造了由天然蜘蛛牵引绳丝编织的微缝线，其中包含2 x 15或3 x 10单纤维线。研究了形态学外观并计算了抗张强度和应力-应变比（SSR）。制成的蜘蛛丝缝合线的中值厚度为25微米，与USP的10-0定义相符。两种蜘蛛丝微缝合线的最大载荷和抗张强度均比尼龙缝合线高出2倍多; SSR高1.5倍。与2 x 15股缝合线相比，3 x 10股缝合线中除弹性以外的所有值均较高，但不显着。在这项初步研究中，我们证明了由蜘蛛丝成功制造微缝合线的方法。关于机械性能，这些缝合线优于尼龙缝合线。由于蜘蛛丝在神经再生中显示出高生物相容性，因此应考虑将其用于显微外科神经修复中。
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