Lumbricus extract promotes the regeneration of injured peripheral nerve in rats.
BACKGROUND
Earthworms regenerate amputated parts of their body if the nervous system is intact. Lumbricus is one traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which has been used in China to promote nerve function for hundreds of years.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the beneficial effect of lumbricus extract on peripheral nerve regeneration in rats.


METHODS
Nerve function was surgically impaired in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats by clamping of the left sciatic nerve. The sham-operated group (surgery but no sciatic nerve clamping), control group, and treatment group were treated with 2 ml 0.9% NaCl, 0.9% NaCl, and lumbricus extract (1g/ml), respectively. Treatments were administered once daily after the operation for 6 weeks. During this period, motor function was monitored by walking track analysis, conduction function of injured sciatic nerve was monitored by electrophysiology, and regeneration of myelinated nerve was assessed by immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
(1) For nerve function index value, treatment group is higher than control group. (2) For conduction velocity of injured sciatic nerve, treatment group is higher than control group at week 3 and 6. (3) For the number of regenerated myelinated nerve fibers, treatment group is higher than control group at week 2 and 6.


CONCLUSIONS
Lumbricus extract appears to enhance sciatic nerve regeneration and function recovery following injury, suggesting the clinical potential of lumbricus extract on the treatment of peripheral nerve injury in humans.
Department of Orthopedics and Trauma, Peking University People's Hospital, 11th Xizhimen South Street, Beijing 100044, China.
Shaoyin
S
Wei
Xiaofeng
X
Yin
Yuhui
Y
Kou
Baoguo
B
Jiang
D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D009835:Oligochaeta / Q000737:chemistry*; D059348:Peripheral Nerve Injuries; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000503:physiopathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley