Table 1.
Notation of experimental and control groups
| Groups | Notation of groups | Components | # of rats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control I (negative) | Saline | PBS solution | 5 |
| Control II (negative) | Plain agarose | 0.5% agarose gels (no LN-1) | 5 |
| Control III (negative) | LN(U)1 | Isotropic LN-1-agarose gels | 5 |
| Control IV (positive) | Nerve graft | Nerve grafts explanted from other Fischer inbred rats | 8 |
| Experimental I | LN(U)-NGF(U) | Isotropic LN-1-agarose gels embedded with isotropic NGF-loaded LMTs | 10 |
| Experimental II | LN(U)-NGF(SG)2 | Isotropic LN-1-agarose gels embedded with anisotropic NGF-loaded LMTs | 9 |
| Experimental III | LN(SG)-NGF(U) | Anisotropic LN-1-agarose gels embedded with isotropic NGF-loaded LMTs | 11 |
| Experimental IV | LN(SG)-NGF(SG) | Anisotropic LN-1-agarose gels embedded with anisotropic NGF-loaded LMTs | |
| Experimental V | LN(CG)3-NGF(U) | Anisotropic LN-1-agarose gels embedded with isotropic NGF-loaded LMTs | 7 |
| Experimental VI | LN(CG)-NGF(SG) | Anisotropic LN-1-agarose gels embedded with anisotropic NGF-loaded LMTs | 8 |
(U)1 = uniform concentration,
(SG)2 = step-gradient,
(CG)3 = continuous-gradient