title: Hydrogen-rich saline promotes motor functional recovery following peripheral nerve autografting in rats.
abstract: Despite the application of nerve grafts and considerable microsurgical innovations, the functional recovery across a long peripheral nerve gap is generally partial and unsatisfactory. Thus, additional strategies are required to improve nerve regeneration across long nerve gaps. Hydrogen possesses antioxidant and anti-apoptotic properties, which could be neuroprotective in the treatment of peripheral nerve injury; however, such a possibility has not been experimentally testedin vivo. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of hydrogen-rich saline in promoting nerve regeneration after 10-mm sciatic nerve autografting in rats. The rats were randomly divided into two groups and intraperitoneally administered a daily regimen of 5 ml/kg hydrogen-rich or normal saline. Axonal regeneration and functional recovery were assessed through a combination of behavioral analyses, electrophysiological evaluations, Fluoro-Gold™ retrograde tracings and histomorphological observations. The data showed that rats receiving hydrogen-rich saline achieved better axonal regeneration and functional recovery than those receiving normal saline. These findings indicated that hydrogen-rich saline promotes nerve regeneration across long gaps, suggesting that hydrogen-rich saline could be used as a neuroprotective agent for peripheral nerve injury therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Fuzhou General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command/Dongfang Hospital of Xiamen University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350025, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yong-Guang
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fuzhou General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command/Dongfang Hospital of Xiamen University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350025, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Qing-Song
authors.initials: QS
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region 750004, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Jun
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Fuzhou General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command/Dongfang Hospital of Xiamen University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350025, P.R. China.
authors.forename: L I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Heredity of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region 750004, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Fuzhou General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command/Dongfang Hospital of Xiamen University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350025, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jian-Mei
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Fuzhou General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command/Dongfang Hospital of Xiamen University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350025, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
keywords: functional recovery; hydrogen; nerve gap; sciatic nerve