Evaluation of the treatment efficiency of platelet rich fibrin on recovery of different sciatic nerve injury models in rats

Objective: Peripheral nerve injuries result in partial or total loss of motor, sensory, and autonomic function due to loss of myelin, disruption of axonal integrity, and degeneration of nerve fibers distal to the lesion. Studies on nerve regeneration have been conducted for many years and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been used as a supportive treatment for nerve regeneration for some time. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the treatment efficacy of PRF in improving different sciatic nerve injury models on rats. Material and Methods: In the study, 30 adult male Sprague Dawley rats weighing 220-275 grams and aged 5-7 months were used. Two rats were separated to prepare PRF, and half of the remaining rats (n:14) were made a crush wound on the right sciatic nerve, and in the other half (n:14), an incision was made with micro scissors and then primary anastomosis was performed with 7/0 prolene (polypropylene) immediately. The rats in which the lesion occurred were randomly divided into 7 groups as PRF and control groups. Results: the leg posture score was found to be statistically significantly lower on the 30th day in the PRF-treated groups compared to the control groups (p < .001). While the SFI score at day 30 increased in the control groups, it decreased significantly in the PRF-treated groups (p < .001). At the end of the experiment, nerve conduction parameters could not be obtained from any of the rats in the control group by electromyography, but most of the rats (n:5) could be obtained in the PRF-treated groups and were found to be significantly lower than the healthy data (p < .001). In the macroscopic evaluation scoring, it was determined that the control groups had significantly higher scores for crush injuries (p < .05). Conclusions: In the light of these findings, it was concluded that the use of PRF as a supportive treatment after traumatic nerve injuries may be a promising option. Key words: Electromyography, Platelet Rich Plasma, Rat, Sciatic Nerve Injury, Treatment