title: Growth-promoting activity of Hominis Placenta extract on regenerating sciatic nerve.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Extract of Hominis Placenta (HP) has been used in oriental medicine as an agent for improving physiological function. The present study was conducted to investigate whether HP treatment in an experimental sciatic nerve injury animal model produces growth-promoting effects on regenerating peripheral nerve fibers after injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  After HP was injected into a sciatic nerve injury site, changes in protein levels were analyzed in the regenerating nerve area by Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining analyses. For quantitative assessment of axonal regeneration, a retrograde tracing technique was used to identify the neuronal cell bodies corresponding to regenerating axons, and the extent of neurite outgrowth in cultured dorsal root ganglia (DRG) sensory neurons prepared from animals that had experienced a sciatic nerve crush injury 7 d before neuron collection was analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Induction levels of axonal growth-associated protein (GAP-43) in the injured sciatic nerves were elevated by HP treatment. HP treatment also upregulated cell division cycle 2 (Cdc2) protein levels in the distal stump of the injured sciatic nerve. Induced Cdc2 protein was detected in Schwann cells, suggesting that Cdc2 kinase activity may be involved in the growth-promoting activity of regenerating axons via Schwann cell proliferation. Cell body measurement by retrograde tracing indicated that HP treatment produced significant increases in regenerating motor axons. Finally, HP treatment of cultured DRG sensory neurons significantly increased neurite arborization and elongation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HP promotes the regeneration of injured sciatic axons by upregulating the synthesis of regeneration-related protein factors such as GAP-43 and Cdc2.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon University, Korea.
authors.forename: Tae-beom Seo
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.forename: In-sun
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Jin-hwan
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: In-chan Seol
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Seol
authors.forename: Yun-sik
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyun-kyung
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.forename: Joung-jo
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: An
authors.forename: Kwon-eui
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Young-bae
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.forename: Dong-hee
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seung-kiel
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Deok-chun
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Uk
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Namgung
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology; D016203:CDC2 Protein Kinase / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D019922:GAP-43 Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D016501:Neurites / Q000187:drug effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010924:Placental Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000293:injuries / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D019922:GAP-43 Protein; D010924:Placental Extracts; D016203:CDC2 Protein Kinase