title: Schwann cells overexpressing FGF-2 alone or combined with manual stimulation do not promote functional recovery after facial nerve injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether transplantation of Schwann cells (SCs) overexpressing different isoforms of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) combined with manual stimulation (MS) of vibrissal muscles improves recovery after facial nerve transection in adult rat.
  
  
  METHODS
  Transected facial nerves were entubulated with collagen alone or collagen plus naïve SCs or transfected SCs. Half of the rats received daily MS. Collateral branching was quantified from motoneuron counts after retrograde labeling from 3 facial nerve branches. Quality assessment of endplate reinnervation was combined with video-based vibrissal function analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no difference in the extent of collateral axonal branching. The proportion of polyinnervated motor endplates for either naïve SCs or FGF-2 over-expressing SCs was identical. Postoperative MS also failed to improve recovery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neither FGF-2 isoform changed the extent of collateral branching or polyinnervation of motor endplates; furthermore, this motoneuron response could not be overridden by MS.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroanatomy, Hannover Medical School and Center for Systems Neuroscience (ZSN), Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Haastert
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grosheva
authors.forename: Srebrina K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Angelova
authors.forename: Orlando
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Guntinas-Lichius
authors.forename: Emmanouil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Skouras
authors.forename: Joern
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Michael
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grothe
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Dunlop
authors.forename: Doychin N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Angelov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005154:Facial Nerve; D020220:Facial Nerve Injuries / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2