Effect of erythropoietin on axonal regeneration aftervascular damage of the sciatic nerve

Objective: A limited number of studies on the peripheral nerve injury due to vascular damage has been documented in the literature. This is why, in the present study, effect of Erythropoietin on recovery of the sciatic nerve after vascular sciatic nerve injury. Method: A total number of 40 Wistar rats were used for this purpose and randomly divided into four groups (Group 1: Control, Group 2: Sham-operated, Group 3: Erythropoietin (-), Group 4: Erythropoietin (+)). Sciatic nerve regeneration was evaluated by functional (walking track analysis, pinch test, electrophysiologic and biochemical tests) and structural (electron microscopy) tests. Results: SFI values and pinch test values showed beneficial effects of Erythropoietin on axonal regeneration. Electrophysiologic ana biochemical analyses were also revealed beneficial effect of Erythropoietin as shown by other analyses done. Conclusion: We think that our study will add valuable knowledge to the literature on the understanding of the nerve regeneration. Key words: sciatic nerve, Erythropoietin, vascular damage