Dexpanthenol reduces fibrosis and aids repair following nerve laceration and neurorrhaphy

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of dexpanthenol on nerve healing following neurorrhaphy in lacerated peripheral nerves. A total of 30 mature Sprague Dawley rats were used. Surgical sciatic nerve dissection and repair was performed on an experimental group of 20 rats. The remaining 10 rats were designated as the control group. The experimental group was divided into 2 subgroups. The surgery + saline group (SSLE; n=10) was given 1 ml/kg 0.9% sodium chloride saline intraperitoneally. The surgery + dexpanthenol group (SDPL; n=10) rats were given 500 mg/kg/day dexpanthenol intraperitoneally. Histological evaluation of the sciatic nerve tissue revealed that the fibrosis score was significantly lower in the SDPL group than in the SSLE group (P<0.001). Electrophysiological evaluation of compound muscle action potential (CMAP) indicated that the CMAP level in the SDPL group was significantly higher than that of the SSLE group (P<0.001), and the CMAP latency period was lower in the SDPL group compared with the SSLE group (P<0.001). In addition, the SDPL group malondialdehyde level was significantly lower than that of the SSLE group (P<0.001). Functional evaluation with an inclined plane test revealed a significant difference between the SSLE (39.6 +/- 5.5 degrees) and SDPL (79.1 +/- 6.93 degrees) groups (P<0.001). Dexpanthenol was observed to have a positive effect on nerve tissue repaired with neurorrhaphy in a rat sciatic model of laceration-type injuries similar to those frequently encountered in the clinic.