Morphofunctional regeneration by mesenchymal stem cell and IGF-1 inoculation in a model of facial nerve crush injury in rats.

Objective: To analyze the morphofunctional regeneration process of facial nerve injury in the presence of insulin-like growth factor-1 and mesenchymal stem cells.

Methods: Fourteen Wistar rats suffered unilateral facial nerve crushing and were randomly divided into two groups. All received insulin-like growth factor-1 inoculation, but only half of the animals received an additional inoculation of mesenchymal stem cells.