title: Protective effects of alpha-lipoic acid on experimental sciatic nerve crush injury in rats: assessed with functional, molecular and electromicroscopic analyses.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study aimed to demonstrate protective effects of alpha lipoic acid on experimental sciatic nerve crush injury model assessed with functional and electronmicroscopy analyses.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, groups were; Group 1; sham operated, Group 2; applied only sciatic nerve crush (Control), Group 3; Sciatic nerve crush + treated ALA 25 mg/kg (received orally) and Group 4; Sciatic nerve crush + treated ALA 50 mg/kg. Subsequently, sciatic nerves crush injury induced by forceps. At the second and fourth week, all animals were evaluated for sciatic functional index (SFI) and histomorphometric analyses with electronmicroscopy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The SFI was significantly increased for both ALA-treated groups 30 days post-injury compared with control groups. The elecronmicroscopy results demonstrated that the axon diameter, the myelin diameter, the area of regenerating axon and miyelin were better in the treatment group than in the control group. Also ALA decreased IL-1β and Caspase 3 levels that increased in SNC group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that ALA neuroprotective agent for peripheral nerve injury (PNI) and promoted peripheral nerve regeneration via its anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic effects.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, 2Department of Pharmacology, 3Department of Brain and Nerve Surgery, 5Department of Histology and Embryology, 4Department of Neurology, Palandoken Public Hospital, Yakutiye, Erzurum, Turkey.
authors.forename: Recep
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Demir
authors.forename: Muhammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yayla
authors.forename: Erol
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Akpinar
authors.forename: Murtaza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cakir
authors.forename: Cagatay
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Calikoglu
authors.forename: Lutfu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ozel
authors.forename: Gokhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ozdemir
authors.forename: Tolga
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mercantepe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008854:Microscopy, Electron / Q000379:methods; D009409:Nerve Crush; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000293:injuries* / Q000378:metabolism; D008063:Thioctic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D008063:Thioctic Acid
keywords: Caspase 3; IL-1β; alpha lipoic acid; nerve injury; peripheral nerve; rat; sciatic nerve