title: The effects of potential neuroprotective agents on rat facial function recovery following facial nerve injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether a series of pharmacologic agents with potential neuroprotective effects accelerate and/or improve facial function recovery after facial nerve crush injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized animal study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary care facility.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty female Wistar-Hannover rats underwent head restraint implantation and daily conditioning. Animals then underwent unilateral crush injury to the main trunk of the facial nerve and were randomized to receive treatment with atorvastatin (n = 10), sildenafil (n = 10), darbepoetin (n = 20), or a corresponding control agent (n = 40). The return of whisking function was tracked throughout the recovery period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All rats initiated the return of whisking function from nerve crush by day 12. Darbepoetin-treated rats (n = 20) showed significantly improved whisking amplitude and velocity across the recovery period, with several days of significant pairwise differences vs comparable control rats (n = 16) across the first 2 weeks of whisking function return. In contrast, rats treated with sildenafil (n = 10) and atorvastatin (n = 10) did not show significant improvement in whisking function recovery after facial nerve crush compared to controls. By week 8, all darbepoetin-treated animals and comparable nerve crush control animals fully recovered whisking function and were statistically indistinguishable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among the 3 potentially neuroprotective agents evaluated, only darbepoetin administration resulted in accelerated recovery of whisking parameters after facial nerve crush injury. Further efforts to define the mechanism of action and translate these findings to the use of darbepoetin in the care of patients with traumatic facial paralysis are needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otology and Laryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
authors.forename: Kalpesh T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Vakharia
authors.forename: Robin W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Lindsay
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Knox
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Doug
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Henstrom
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weinberg
authors.forename: Tessa A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Hadlock
authors.forename: James T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Heaton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005152:Facial Muscles / Q000294:innervation; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000502:physiology*; D020220:Facial Nerve Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000187:drug effects*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents