title: Tacrolimus enhances the recovery of normal laryngeal muscle fibre distribution after reinnervation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the recovery of various muscle fibre types in the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle after laryngeal reinnervation in the rat, and to determine the influence of tacrolimus on this process.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four groups of rats underwent resection and anastomosis of the left vagus nerve, and were administered either tacrolimus at a low dose or an immunosuppressive dose, or cyclosporin A at a low dose or an immunosuppressive dose. A fifth group received surgery alone, and a sixth group received neither surgery nor drug treatment (healthy group). Muscles were removed for immunohistochemical analysis 45 days after surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no difference in the proportion of types 1, 2a and 2b muscle fibres, comparing the immunosuppressive tacrolimus group and the healthy group, whereas there were fewer type 1 fibres in the group receiving surgery alone, compared with the healthy group (7 vs 12.1 per cent, respectively; p = 0.0303).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tacrolimus enhanced the recovery of normal laryngeal muscle fibres after reinnervation in the rat, indicating a possible role in laryngeal transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery Department, Rouen University Hospital, France. p_gorphe@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gorphe
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Guerout
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Birchall
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Terenghi
authors.forename: J-P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Marie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007821:Laryngeal Muscles / Q000187:drug effects / Q000294:innervation*; D008297:Male; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D016559:Tacrolimus / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D016572:Cyclosporine; D016559:Tacrolimus