Effect of decorin protein application on rat sciatic nerve healing

Peripheral nerves are basically divided into three subtypes, which are motor neurons, sensory neurons, and autonomic neurons. These are the signals that occur in neurons, which can be different from each other, such as light, temperature, pressure, and activate the pump called sodium-potassium ATPase, which is located in the cell membrane. This pump is activated, causing the electrolytes in the cytoplasm and in the extracellular matrix to shift in balance. A transmission process called impulse occurs when these warnings occur after passing a certain threshold value. As long as body integrity is maintained, this physiological process continues at any time. However, the traumas that occur in the peripheral nerves can disrupt this process in an irreversible way. As revealed in the studies, injuries related to peripheral nerves account for 5% of trauma patients, and when evaluated nationwide, this ratio concerns quite a lot of people. Although there are improvements in operative techniques, scarring after surgery prevents functional recovery and epineural scarring creates a mechanical barrier from the suture line to axonal elongation. It increases damage by restricting nerve mobility in adhesions formed during recovery. In this study, a molecule called decorin will be used to block scar tissue that occurs after peripheral nerve injury. Decorin is part of a protein family rich in leucine called SLRP, which weighs 100 kDa in total. This protein is mainly produced in fibroblast, chondrocyte, smooth muscle cells, and endothelial cells. In addition, this molecule is able to interact with growth factors and their receptors and other proteins located outside the cell. Besides the regulation of cell proliferation, migration, differentiation, it is also involved in the regulation of the inflammation process that occurs after injury. In the literature, it is shown on the basis of the organ that the decorin molecule eliminated the fibrosis that occurs during the healing process. There are studies showing that glomerulosclerosis, lung damage after the use of bleomycin, and fibrosis in the central nervous system are effective in progressive diseases; however, no previous study model on the peripheral nerve has been found in the literature. The study aims to show the decorin molecule, which has been proven to have anti-fibrotic efficacy given the above, can reduce scar tissue to resolve problems in peripheral nerve healing. Although the application of the decorin did not provide superiority when it was compared to the neuropraxia group in the evaluation of motor and sensory tests, it gave better results compared to the group that applied Pbs both functionally and histologically. Although bolus application reveals a statistically significant difference, the timing of the decorin, the dose, the intervals to be given, and the route of administration remain uncertain. In addition, it is expensive, difficult to access and production is long. These restrict the clinical practice. Nerve healing is a very complex and complicated process. Therefore, more molecular studies are needed to achieve full recovery using a single drug or technique; however, the administration of the decorin contributes significantly to nerve healing.