Dehydroepiandrosterone as an enhancer of functional recovery following crush injury to rat sciatic nerve

This study was designed to investigate the effect of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on the recovery of the rat sciatic nerve following crush injury. A standard hemostat system was used to create the injury, with a length of 1.5 mm in three groups of 18 animals each. In group I, the crush injury was a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Microsurgery 2002, Vol.22 (6), p.234-241
Main Authors: Gudemez, Eftal, Ozer, Kagan, Cunningham, Brian, Siemionow, Krzysztof, Browne, Earl, Siemionow, Maria
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Dehydroepiandrosterone - administration & dosage
Dehydroepiandrosterone - pharmacology
General aspects
Hindlimb - innervation
Injections, Intralesional
Injuries of the nervous system and the skull. Diseases due to physical agents
Medical sciences
Movement - drug effects
Muscle, Skeletal - drug effects
Muscle, Skeletal - innervation
Muscle, Skeletal - physiopathology
Nerve Fibers, Myelinated - drug effects
Neuropharmacology
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Rats
Recovery of Function - drug effects
Sciatic Nerve - drug effects
Sciatic Nerve - injuries
Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents
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Summary:This study was designed to investigate the effect of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on the recovery of the rat sciatic nerve following crush injury. A standard hemostat system was used to create the injury, with a length of 1.5 mm in three groups of 18 animals each. In group I, the crush injury was applied without any treatment. In groups II and III, vehicle (ethylene glycol) and DHEA solutions were injected subepineurally 30 min following the crush injury. Sciatic function index (SFI), toe contracture measurement, gastrocinemius muscle weight, total number of myelinated fibers, fiber diameters, myelin thickness, and axon/fiber cross‐sectional ratio were measured at 3, 6, and 12 weeks. The SFI values in the DHEA group showed a faster return to normal values confirmed at 3 and 6 weeks (P < 0.05). The number of myelinated fibers and fiber diameters at 6 and 12 weeks were significantly higher in the DHEA group (P < 0.05). In this study, the subepineural injection of DHEA following crush injury was found to enhance functional recovery of the rat sciatic nerve. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. MICROSURGERY 22:234–241 2002
ISSN:0738-1085
1098-2752
DOI:10.1002/micr.10039