Abstract: Objective This experiment explored the possibility of repairing injured facial nerve with tissue engineering technology and neural stem cells（NSCs）. The complex consisted of NSCs, scaffold and NT-3. NSCs were immature cells with the potential of self-renewal and multiple differentiation to neurons and glial cells. The scaffold with porous surface was made of hyaluronic acid and collagen (HA-Col gel) which degenerate in vivo after transplantation. NT-3 is the signal proved effective in promoting neurons survival in vitro. Methods NSCs of S-D rat were co-cultured with scaffold and NT-3 in vitro. The two stumps of disconnected facial nerve of rabbit were re-connected with the complex. Electrophysiology and morphology tests were used to examine the functional and morphological changes.Results NSCs adhered to the HA-Col gel and survived. Injured facial nerve fixed by NSCs-HA-Col gel-NT-3 complex showed significant improvement in function and anatomical structure. Conclusion The result demonstrated that combinative implant of NSCs, HA-Col gel and NT-3 could promote the regeneration of injured facial nerve.

Key words: neural stem cells, tissue engineering, regeneration