title: Intraperitoneal administration of CDP-choline or a combination of cytidine plus choline improves nerve regeneration and functional recovery in a rat model of sciatic nerve injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Topical cytidine-5'-diphosphocholine (CDP-choline) improves functional recovery and promotes nerve regeneration in sciatic nerve injury in rats. The aims of this study were to test whether systemic treatment with CDP-choline was effective in  improving the recovery of injured sciatic nerve, and to determine whether the cytidine and/or choline moieties of CDP-choline contribute to its beneficial actions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy Sprague-Dawley rats underwent a surgical procedure that involved transectioning and immediate  surgical repairing of the right sciatic nerve. Rats were assigned to one of five groups and administered intraperitoneally 1 ml/kg of saline (control) or saline containing 600 μmol/kg of each of CDP-choline, cytidine, choline, or cytidine+choline.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Recovery in sciatic  function index score was greater in rats treated with CDP-choline, choline, or cytidine+choline at 8 and 12 weeks after the interventions. Peripheral nerve regeneration evaluated by electromyography at 12 weeks was also greater in rats receiving CDP-choline (228% of control), choline (168%  of control), or cytidine+choline (221% of control). Axon counts and axon density increased significantly following CDP-choline, choline, or cytidine+choline, respectively. Treatment with equivalent dose of cytidine failed to affect sciatic function index, electromyography, and axon counts.  Treatment with CDP-choline, but not its metabolites improved nerve adherence and separability score.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data show that intraperitoneal CDP-choline, as well as the combination of its metabolites, cytidine+choline, improves functional recovery and promotes regeneration  of injured sciatic nerves in rats. CDP-choline also improves nerve adherence and separability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Saglik Bakanligi Goztepe Egitim ve Arastirma Hastanesi, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Basak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Caner
authors.forename: M Ilker
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Kafa
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bekar
authors.forename: M Ayberk
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kurt
authors.forename: Necdet
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Karli
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cansev
authors.forename: Ismail H
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Ulus
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019771:Axotomy; D002794:Choline / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003562:Cytidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003566:Cytidine Diphosphate Choline / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects*; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000187:drug effects*; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000293:injuries; D020426:Sciatic Neuropathy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D018697:Nootropic Agents; D003566:Cytidine Diphosphate Choline; D003562:Cytidine; D002794:Choline