Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate histopathological, functional and bone densitometry examinations of the beneficial effects of dexpanthenol (DEX) on nerve regeneration in a rat model of peripheral nerve crush injury. Methods: Thirty adult Sprague-Dawley rats were divided equally into three groups. A crush injury was simulated in all rats by clamping the right sciatic nerve for one minute. In group 1, one day before the surgical procedure, 500 mg/kg DEX administered via intraperitoneally (ip) was initiated and continued three times in a week during the experiment period as 28 days. In group 2, rats received a dose of 10 mg/kg DEX to investigate possible effects of DEX alone. Group 3 served as the control (sciatic nerve injury) and was not given any drugs. Results: Performance was significantly lower in group 3 compared to the drug treatment groups during the rotarod test (30 rpm and 40 rpm) (p < 0.05). After a while, the rats which were able to remain on the rod was significantly lower in group 3 during the acceleration test (p < 0.05). Hot plate latency test results in group 3 were significantly lower when compared to the other groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion: DEX appears to be useful as a supportive clinical agent for the treatment of pain and nerve damage.
C1 [Korkmaz, Mehmet Fatih] Istanbul Medeniyet Univ, Dept Orthopaed & Traumatol, Sch Med, Istanbul, Turkey.
[Parlakpinar, Hakan] Inonu Univ, Dept Pharmacol, Sch Med, Malatya, Turkey.
[Erdem, Mehmet Nuri] Hisar Intercontinental Hosp, Dept Orthopaed & Traumatol, Istanbul, Turkey.
[Ceylan, Mehmet Fethi] Inonu Univ, Dept Orthopaed & Traumatol, Sch Med, Malatya, Turkey.
[Ediz, Levent] Van YY Univ, Dept Phys Therapy & Rehabil, Sch Med, Van, Turkey.
[Samdanci, Emine] Inonu Univ, Dept Pathol, Sch Med, Malatya, Turkey.
[Kekilli, Ersoy] Inonu Univ, Dept Nucl Med, Sch Med, Malatya, Turkey.