title: Pharmacologic enhancement of functional recovery in free muscle transfers.
abstract: To date, most free muscle transfers have been marginally successful as functioning units, producing no more than 50 percent of the tension generated by an identical non-transferred muscle. Functional recovery depends both on revascularization and re-innervation, even after careful microvascular anastomosis, remains limited. Forskolin is a robust stimulator of adenylate cyclase and has been used to stimulate peripheral nerve regeneration in vivo; Forskolin may also directly increase capillary growth. Chronic infusion of Forskolin for the first 21 days following orthotopic transplantation of rabbit rectus femoris, with neurovascular anastomosis, stimulated a two-fold increase in the force-generating capacity of the transplant nine to 10 months after surgery. These results, in a model similar to clinical free muscle transfer, offer promise that Forskolin treatment can improve functional recovery by improving muscle re-innervation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of California, Davis, Sacramento 95817.
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Carlsen
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gourley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005576:Colforsin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000502:physiology*; D004576:Electromyography; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D009132:Muscles / Q000502:physiology / Q000637:transplantation*; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects*; D011817:Rabbits; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical
chemical_list: D005576:Colforsin; D000242:Cyclic AMP