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Histomorphometric Evaluation of Median Nerve Injury in Wistar Rats Treated with GM1
Osvaldo Mendes Oliveira Filho1, Márcia dos Santos Rizzo1, Antônio César Almeida de Oliveira1, Gustavo Bispo dos Santos2; William Dias Belangero3
1Department of Specialized Medicine, Experimental Surgery Sector, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Teresina, Brazil; 2Department of Experimental Surgery Sector, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; 3Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
Background: The aim of this study was to compare the morphologic alterations between traditional neurorrhaphy and neurorrhaphy combined with intraperitoneal administration of GM1 after median nerve injury of Wistar rats, using histomorphometric analysis.
Method: Twenty-two male Wistar rats suffered microsurgical median nerve damage. Rats were further subdivided into two experimental groups: Group I (10 animals) treated with external epineurial neurorrhaphy and Group II (12 animals) treated with epineurial neurorraphy combined with intraperitoneal GM1.
Results: Microscopic analysis containing distal stumps revealed that Group II animals had more regenerated axons with slightly thicker myelin sheath than Group I animals and had a more homogeneous and organized regeneration pattern, with a looser endoneurium in the central nerve fiber. A significant difference (p=0.0056) in mean axonal diameter of the distal segment was observed. Group II had larger and more axons (28%) than Group I.
Comparison with existing method(s): Traditional axonal regeneration index, obtained by axon counting in both segments was added to the diameter of axonal myelin layer.
Conclusion: Since nerve regeneration depends upon the association between the number of regenerated axons and myelin sheath diameter, data indicates that Group II is more highly myelinated than Group I. There is strong evidence (p=0.0536) that GM1 used as an adjuvant in peripheral nerve surgery improves axonal regeneration pattern.
Keywords: GM median nerve, axonal regeneration, morphometry, rats. AAHS/ASPN/ASRM Joint Outstanding Paper Session AAHS #1 Patient Factors Associated with Complications within 30 days of Hand Surgery; an Analysis of 9,969
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