title: Nerve growth factor injected systemically improves the recovery of the inferior alveolar nerve in a rabbit model of mandibular distraction osteogenesis.
abstract: Our aim was to find out if nerve growth factor (NGF) injected systemically could improve the recovery of the inferior alveolar nerve in a rabbit model of mandibular distraction osteogenesis. We used 48 New Zealand white rabbits that were treated with bilateral distraction osteogenesis at a rate of 0.5mm/12h for 10 days. Immediately postoperatively, NGF or sodium chloride 0.6 μg/day was injected intramuscularly for 20 days. At the end of distraction and after consolidation times of 1, 2, and 4 weeks, the inferior alveolar nerves were evaluated histologically and histomorphometrically. Histologically, at 2 and 4 weeks there was less myelin debris, and more regenerating axons were present, in the NGF than the control groups. The density of myelinated axons was significantly greater in groups with NGF than controls at 2 and 4 weeks (p<0.05). NGF given systemically can accelerate the recovery of the inferior alveolar nerve in rabbits after mandibular distraction osteogenesis, and is a promising treatment option for neurological complications of mandibular distraction osteogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Fourth Military Medical University, School of Stomatology, Xi'an 710032, China. duzhaojie222@yahoo.cn
authors.forename: Zhao-jie
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: De-lin
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.forename: Bao-lin
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Pu
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000601:surgery*; D008340:Mandibular Nerve / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D023421:Models, Animal; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects; D019857:Osteogenesis, Distraction / Q000379:methods*; D011817:Rabbits; D011897:Random Allocation; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000187:drug effects; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors; D014855:Wallerian Degeneration / Q000473:pathology; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D020932:Nerve Growth Factor