title: Effects of a tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor (etanercept) on the sciatic nerve in a hypoxic ischemia-induced neonatal rat model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic (HI) injury has been considered to have acute and long term deleterious effects on many tissues, including the peripheral nerve.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In this study, the effects of a tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a) inhibitor (etanercept) on peripheral nerve damage and the ultrastructure of the sciatic nerve and gastrocnemius muscle in rats exposed to HI during the neonatal period were examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, 45 seven-day-old rats were used and they were divided into three groups. The right carotid arteries of the rats in the saline and etanercept groups were ligated and put in a hypoxia chamber containing 8% oxygen for two hours. Just after hypoxia, the etanercept group was given 10 mg/kg etanercept, but the saline group had only saline intraperitoneally. The sham group rats' carotid arteries were not ligated or put in hypoxia. The amplitude, area and latency of sciatic nerve compound motor action potential (CMAP), which mainly reflects axonopathy and myelinopathy, were measured using standard techniques in the seventeenth week following the HI. Sciatic nerve and gastrocnemius muscle were evaluated with a transmission electron microscope, and grading for myelin sheath damage was done to all groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Neuropathy was seen in rats after HI. While treatment with etanercept showed a protective effect for the axons of sciatic nerve, demyelination could not be recovered with etanercept.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study is the first in literature to show a partial interruption of the signal through the peripheral nerve fibers caused by axonal and myelin dysfunction continuation in rats exposed to HI after birth, in the 17th week.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics, Medical Faculty, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey.
authors.forename: Belgin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Buyukakilli
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Medical Faculty, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aytug
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Atici
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical Faculty, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ebru
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Balli
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Medical Faculty, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozkan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics, Medical Faculty, Gaziosmanpasa University, Tokat, Turkey.
authors.forename: Serkan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gurgul
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Medical Faculty, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey.
authors.forename: Bahar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tasdelen
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical Faculty, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey.
authors.forename: Oykut
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dagtekin