title: Effects of cepae extract, allantoin, and heparin mixture on developing andalready formed epidural fibrosis in a rat laminectomy model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study was designed to investigate whether local administration of a mixture composed of cepae extract, allantoin, and heparin (CAH) decreased already formed epidural fibrosis (EF) at the laminectomy site.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four adult male Sprague Dawley rats were equally divided into four groups. Laminectomy was performed at the L5 level in all rats. The group 2 and group 4 rats were treated with local drug administration. While the group 1 and 2 rats were sacrificed after 6 weeks, the remaining rats were reoperated and CAH mixture was applied in group 4. The vertebral columns of all rats were removed en bloc. Fibroblast numbers, EF, and arachnoidal involvement (AI) were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of the treatment groups were separately compared with the control groups. The numbers of fibroblasts in the treatment groups were significantly lower than those in the control groups (P < 0.001). The grade of EF in group 2 was significantly less than that in group 1 (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference regarding EF and AI grade between group 3 and group 4, and local application of the drug on EF and AI yielded better results than in the control groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The mixture composed of CAH might be a successful candidate for preventing EF in clinical practice.
authors: T.C. Ministry of Health Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazit Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors: Rafet
authors: R
authors: Özay
authors: Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Turgut Özal University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors: Osman Yüksel
authors: OY
authors: Yavuz
authors: Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, İstanbul University, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors: Abit
authors: A
authors: Aktaş
authors: Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, İstanbul University, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors: Funda
authors: F
authors: Yiğit
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Çukurova University, Adana, Turkey.
authors: Nuri Eralp
authors: NE
authors: Çetinalp
authors: Emsey Hospital Orthopedics and Traumatology Clinic, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors: Hacı Mustafa
authors: HM
authors: Özdemir
authors: T.C. Ministry of Health Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazit Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors: Zeki
authors: Z
authors: Şekerci
mesh_terms: D000481:Allantoin; D000818:Animals; D002921:Cicatrix; D004824:Epidural Space; D005355:Fibrosis; D006493:Heparin; D007796:Laminectomy; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D000481:Allantoin; D006493:Heparin
keywords: Laminectomy; allantoin; cepae; fibrosis; heparin; rat