Reconnecting the vagus nerve to the heart through nerve conduit preserves cardiac function in a minipig model of right cardiac vagotomy
Dushpanova A. Redolfi-Riva E. Casieri V. Brogi L. Grigoratos C. Bernini F. Terlizzi D. Gabisonia K. Zinno C. Agnesi F. Furini G. Alibrandi L. Paganelli A. Sassu V. Carrozzo A. Marchetti S. Burchielli S. Carpaneto J. Sgorbini M. Beltrami A.P. Cellerino A. Aquaro G.D. Micera S. Lionetti V.
24 December 2025American Association for the Advancement of Science
Science Translational Medicine
2025#17Issue 830
The right vagus nerve is essential for cardiac homeostasis, and its intrathoracic resection can lead to postoperative cardiac complications. Strategies to restore vagal innervation after transection at the cardiac level remain lacking. Here, we show that early reconnection of the right vagus nerve using an implantable chitosan/poly-ε-caprolactone cuff-like nerve guidance conduit preserved cardiac mechanical function in adult male minipigs subjected to right cardiac vagotomy. Treated animals displayed improved global circumferential, longitudinal, and radial strains and reduced diastolic dyssynchrony. Histological analysis revealed partial repair with about 20% viable vagal fascicles, restoration of myocardial parasympathetic fibers, normalization of oxidative stress and aging markers, and prevention of interstitial fibrosis. These findings suggest that maintaining even limited vagal input prevents early cardiac remodeling by mitigating oxidative stress–induced premature senescence of cardiac cells. Reconnection of the right vagus nerve with chitosan/poly-ε-caprolactone cuff-like nerve guidance conduit may represent a therapeutic approach to preventing right vagotomy–induced heart failure after thoracic surgery or cardiothoracic transplantation. Copyright
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Unit of Translational Critical Care Medicine, Laboratory of Basic and Applied Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Research Center “Health Science, ” Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, 56124, Italy
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan
BioRobotics Institute, Department of Excellence in Robotics and AI, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pontedera, 56025, Italy
Laboratory of Biology, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, 56124, Italy
Fondazione G. Monasterio CNR-Regione Toscana, Pisa, 56124, Italy
BioMedLab, Interdisciplinary Research Center “Health Science, ” Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, 56124, Italy
Department of Cardiac Surgery, ICLAS, GVM Care and Research, Rapallo, 16035, Italy
Department of Cardiac Surgery, Maria Cecilia Hospital, GVM Care and Research, Cotignola, 48033, Italy
Institute of Clinical Physiology, CNR, Pisa, 56124, Italy
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, 56124, Italy
Department of Medicine, University of Udine, Udine, 33100, Italy
Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Friuli Centrale, Udine, 33100, Italy
Leibniz Institute on Ageing, Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, 07745, Germany
Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology, and Critical Area, University of Pisa, Pisa, 56126, Italy
Bertarelli Foundation Chair in Translational Neuroengineering, Centre for Neuroprosthetics, Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Geneve, 1202, Switzerland
Unit of Translational Critical Care Medicine
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
BioRobotics Institute
Laboratory of Biology
Fondazione G. Monasterio CNR-Regione Toscana
BioMedLab
Department of Cardiac Surgery
Department of Cardiac Surgery
Institute of Clinical Physiology
Department of Veterinary Sciences
Department of Medicine
Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Friuli Centrale
Leibniz Institute on Ageing
Department of Surgical
Bertarelli Foundation Chair in Translational Neuroengineering
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