title: Nimodipine-mediated re-myelination after facial nerve crush injury in rats.
abstract: This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of nimodipine-mediated neural repair after facial nerve crush injury in rats. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: healthy controls, surgery alone, and surgery plus nimodipine. A facial nerve crush injury model was constructed. Immediately after surgery, the rats in the surgery plus nimodipine group were administered nimodipine, 6 mg/kg/day, for a variable numbers of days. The animals underwent electromyography (EMG) before surgery and at 3, 10, or 20 days after surgery. After sacrifice, nerve samples were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and luxol fast blue. The EMG at 20 days revealed an apparent recovery of eletroconductivity, with the surgery plus nimodipine group having a higher amplitude and shorter latency time than the surgery only group. H&E staining showed that at 20 days, the rats treated with nimodipine had an obvious recovery of myelination and reduction in the number of infiltrating cells, suggesting less inflammation, compared with the rats in the surgery only group. Luxol fast blue staining was relatively even in the surgery plus nimodipine group, indicating a protective effect against injury-induced demyelination. Staining for S100 calcium-binding protein B (S-100β) was not evident in the surgery alone group, but was evident in the surgery plus nimodipine group, indicating that nimodipine reversed the damage of the crush injury. After a facial nerve crush injury, treatment with nimodipine for 20 days reduced the nerve injury by mediating remyelination by Schwann cells. The protective effect of nimodipine may include a reduction of inflammation and an increase in calcium-binding S-100β protein.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Floor 16, Building 8, 1665 Kongjiang Road, Shanghai 200092, China.
authors.forename: Yin-da
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Floor 16, Building 8, 1665 Kongjiang Road, Shanghai 200092, China.
authors.forename: Xue-sheng
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Floor 16, Building 8, 1665 Kongjiang Road, Shanghai 200092, China.
authors.forename: Ting-ting
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Ying
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Floor 16, Building 8, 1665 Kongjiang Road, Shanghai 200092, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Floor 16, Building 8, 1665 Kongjiang Road, Shanghai 200092, China. Electronic address: lsting66@163.com.
authors.forename: Shi-ting
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods; D020220:Facial Nerve Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009409:Nerve Crush / Q000379:methods*; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009553:Nimodipine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D009553:Nimodipine
keywords: Facial nerve injury; Myelination; Nerve regeneration; Nimodipine; Rat