title: Dehydroepiandrosterone as an enhancer of functional recovery following crush injury to rat sciatic nerve.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, A60, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
authors.forename: Eftal
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gudemez
authors.forename: Kagan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ozer
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Siemionow
authors.forename: Earl
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Browne
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Siemionow
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000294:innervation; D015552:Injections, Intralesional; D009068:Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000294:innervation* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000187:drug effects*; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000293:injuries*
chemical_list: D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone