title: Boric acid reduces axonal and myelin damage in experimental sciatic nerve injury.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of boric acid in experimental acute sciatic nerve injury. Twenty-eight adult male rats were randomly divided into four equal groups (n= 7): control (C), boric acid (BA), sciatic nerve injury (I), and sciatic nerve injury + boric acid treatment (BAI). Sciatic nerve injury was generated using a Yasargil aneurysm clip in the groups I and BAI. Boric acid was given four times at 100 mg/kg to rats in the groups BA and BAI after injury (by gavage at 0, 24, 48 and 72 hours) but no injury was made in the group BA.In vivoelectrophysiological tests were performed at the end of the day 4 and sciatic nerve tissue samples were taken for histopathological examination. The amplitude of compound action potential, the nerve conduction velocity and the number of axons were significantly lower and the myelin structure was found to be broken in group I compared with those in groups C and BA. However, the amplitude of the compound action potential, the nerve conduction velocity and the number of axons were significantly greater in group BAI than in group I. Moreover, myelin injury was significantly milder and the intensity of nuclear factor kappa B immunostaining was significantly weaker in group BAI than in group I. The results of this study show that administration of boric acid at 100 mg/kg after sciatic nerve injury in rats markedly reduces myelin and axonal injury and improves the electrophysiological function of injured sciatic nerve possibly through alleviating oxidative stress reactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Adnan Menderes University, Aydin, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zahir
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2021-0406
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kızılay
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Balikesir University, Balikesir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Haydar Ali
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Erken
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Adnan Menderes University, Aydin, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nesibe Kahraman
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Çetin
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Adnan Menderes University, Aydin, Turkey.
authors.forename: Serdar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aktaş
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Adnan Menderes University, Aydin, Turkey.
authors.forename: Burçin İrem
authors.initials: Bİ
authors.lastname: Abas
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Adnan Menderes University, Aydin, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yılmaz
keywords: axon; boric acid; electrophysiology; myelin; nerve conduction velocity; nerve regeneration; neural regeneration; peripheral nerve injury; sciatic nerve