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© 2015. This article is published under (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/) (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Nerve growth factor (NGF) plays an important role in promoting neuroregeneration after peripheral nerve injury. However, its effects are limited by its short half-life; it is therefore important to identify an effective mode of administration. High-frequency ultrasound (HFU) is increasingly used in the clinic for high-resolution visualization of tissues, and has been proposed as a method for identifying and evaluating peripheral nerve damage after injury. In addition, HFU is widely used for guiding needle placement when administering drugs to a specific site. We hypothesized that HFU guiding would optimize the neuroprotective effects of NGF on sciatic nerve injury in the rabbit. We performed behavioral, ultrasound, electrophysiological, histological, and immunohistochemical evaluation of HFU-guided NGF injections administered immediately after injury, or 14 days later, and compared this mode of administration with intramuscular NGF injections. Across all assessments, HFU-guided NGF injections gave consistently better outcomes than intramuscular NGF injections administered immediately or 14 days after injury, with immediate treatment also yielding better structural and functional results than when the treatment was delayed by 14 days. Our findings indicate that NGF should be administered as early as possible after peripheral nerve injury, and highlight the striking neuroprotective effects of HFU-guided NGF injections on peripheral nerve injury compared with intramuscular administration.

Details

Title
Neuroprotective effects of ultrasound-guided nerve growth factor injections after sciatic nerve injury
Author
Hong-fei, Li 1 ; Yi-ru, Wang 1 ; Hui-ping Huo 1 ; Yue-xiang, Wang 1 ; Tang, Jie 1 

 Department of Ultrasound, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 
Pages
1846-1855
Publication year
2015
Publication date
Nov 2015
Publisher
Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd.
ISSN
16735374
e-ISSN
18767958
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2382736837
Copyright
© 2015. This article is published under (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/) (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.