title: Verapamil inhibits scar formation after peripheral nerve repair in vivo.
abstract: The calcium channel blocker, verapamil, has been shown to reduce scar formation by inhibiting fibroblast adhesion and proliferation in vitro. It was not clear whether topical application of verapamil after surgical repair of the nerve in vivo could inhibit the formation of excessive scar tissue. In this study, the right sciatic nerve of adult Sprague-Dawley rats was transected and sutured with No. 10-0 suture. The stoma was wrapped with gelfoam soaked with verapamil solution for 4 weeks. Compared with the control group (stoma wrapped with gelfoam soaked with physiological saline), the verapamil application inhibited the secretion of extracellular matrix from fibroblasts in vivo, suppressed type I and III collagen secretion and increased the total number of axons and the number of myelinated axons. These findings suggest that verapamil could reduce the formation of scar tissue and promote axon growth after peripheral nerve repair.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
authors.forename: A-Chao
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: 457 Hospital of PLA, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
authors.forename: Jing-Xiu
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
authors.forename: Qi-Shun
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2429-4894
authors.initials: QS
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
authors.forename: Huai-Yuan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
authors.forename: Pan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Wei
authors.initials: ZW
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
authors.forename: Zhen-Bing
authors.initials: ZB
authors.lastname: Chen
keywords: nerve injury; nerve regeneration; neural regeneration; scar; sciatic nerve; type I collagen; type III collagen; verapamil