Abstract
The rat models currently employed for studies of nerve regeneration present distinct disadvantages. We propose a new technique of stretch-induced nerve injury, used here to evaluate the influence of gabapentin (GBP) on nerve regeneration. Male Wistar rats (300 g; n=36) underwent surgery and exposure of the median nerve in the right forelimbs, either with or without nerve injury. The technique was performed using distal and proximal clamps separated by a distance of 2 cm and a sliding distance of 3 mm. The nerve was compressed and stretched for 5 s until the bands of Fontana disappeared. The animals were evaluated in relation to functional, biochemical and histological parameters. Stretching of the median nerve led to complete loss of motor function up to 12 days after the lesion (P<0.001), compared to non-injured nerves, as assessed in the grasping test. Grasping force in the nerve-injured animals did not return to control values up to 30 days after surgery (P<0.05). Nerve injury also caused an increase in the time of sensory recovery, as well as in the electrical and mechanical stimulation tests. Treatment of the animals with GBP promoted an improvement in the morphometric analysis of median nerve cross-sections compared with the operated vehicle group, as observed in the area of myelinated fibers or connective tissue (P<0.001), in the density of myelinated fibers/mm2 (P<0.05) and in the degeneration fragments (P<0.01). Stretch-induced nerve injury seems to be a simple and relevant model for evaluating nerve regeneration.
Highlights
Peripheral nerve injury has a prevalence of 1-3% among adult patients with polytrauma, with a higher proportion of affected males than females, and has consequences that often lead to a functional loss of the affected limb [1,2].Rat models of nerve injury are the most prevalent type used in studies designed to evaluate nerve regeneration [3], and they serve as a basis for studies aimed at seeking new forms of treatment as well as those intended to improve understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms by which drugs act in the treatment of such conditions
The grabbing force gradually increased after day 12 in the groups with nerve injury, it did not reach values similar to those observed in the sham-operated group until 30 days after injury (P,0.05)
The present study proposes a new rat model of stretch-induced median nerve injury that could be a useful avenue for evaluating approaches to the investigation of nerve regeneration
Summary
Peripheral nerve injury has a prevalence of 1-3% among adult patients with polytrauma, with a higher proportion of affected males than females, and has consequences that often lead to a functional loss of the affected limb [1,2].Rat models of nerve injury are the most prevalent type used in studies designed to evaluate nerve regeneration [3], and they serve as a basis for studies aimed at seeking new forms of treatment as well as those intended to improve understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms by which drugs act in the treatment of such conditions. Peripheral nerve injury has a prevalence of 1-3% among adult patients with polytrauma, with a higher proportion of affected males than females, and has consequences that often lead to a functional loss of the affected limb [1,2]. The major kinds of experimental lesion to this nerve are axonotmesis by crushing [6] or neurotmesis followed by microsurgical nerve reconstruction [7]. These techniques present a number of disadvantages, such as a fast regeneration process and the need for microsurgical techniques, respectively. The development of techniques to overcome these difficulties is justified, given the importance of their application in studies of nerve regeneration
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