title: The effect of melatonin and platelet gel on sciatic nerve repair: an electrophysiological and stereological study.
abstract: Nerve regeneration after surgical reconstruction is far from optimal, and thus effective strategies for improving the outcome of nerve repair are being sought. In this experiment, we verified if postoperative intraperitoneal melatonin (MLT) administration after intraoperative platelet gel application improves peripheral nerve regeneration. In adult male rats, 1-cm long sciatic nerve defects were repaired using four different strategies: autologous nerve graft repair followed by MLT (NM, n = 5), collagen conduit repair followed by MLT (CM, n = 5), platelet gel-enriched collagen conduit repair followed by MLT (CGM, n = 6), and platelet gel-enriched collagen conduit (CG, n = 5) repair followed by no substance administration. Sham operated animals were used as controls (Cont, n = 5). Ninety days after surgery, the nerve regeneration outcome was comparatively assessed by means of electrophysiological and stereological analysis. Electrophysiology revealed no significant differences between the experimental and the sham control groups. Stereological analysis showed no significant differences among the experimental groups regarding axon size and myelin thickness, but the axon number was significantly lower in the CM compared to Cont and NM group. Moreover, there was no significant difference between number of axons in CG and Cont groups, between CGM and CM, and between CM and NM. Although it was observed that platelet gel have a positive effect on nerve regeneration, but a combination of local platelet gel with MLT does not have the same effect on nerve repair.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Ondokuz Mayis University School of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey. skaplan@omu.edu.tr
authors.forename: Süleyman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pişkin
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ayyildiz
authors.forename: Abit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aktaş
authors.forename: Bülent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Köksal
authors.forename: Muzaffer Başak
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Ulkay
authors.forename: Aysin Pinar
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Türkmen
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bakan
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Geuna
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001792:Blood Platelets; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004568:Electrodiagnosis; D005782:Gels; D048091:Guided Tissue Regeneration; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D005782:Gels; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008550:Melatonin