@article{3ba304cd144340768aa3e399e70f2617,
title = "Erythropoietin accelerates functional recovery after moderate sciatic nerve crush injury",
abstract = "Introduction: Erythropoietin (EPO) has been identified as a neuroregenerative agent. We hypothesize that it may accelerate recovery after crush injury and may vary with crush severity. Methods: Mice were randomized to mild, moderate, or severe crush of the sciatic nerve and were treated with EPO or vehicle control after injury. The sciatic function index (SFI) was monitored over the first week. Microstructural changes were analyzed by immunofluorescence for neurofilament (NF) and myelin (P0), and electron microscopy was used to assess ultrastructural changes. Results: In moderate crush injuries, EPO significantly improved SFI at 7 days post-injury, an effect not observed with other severity levels. Increases in the ratio of P0 to NF were observed after EPO treatment in moderate crush injuries. Electron microscopy demonstrated endothelial cell hypertrophy in the EPO group. Conclusions: EPO accelerates recovery in moderately crushed nerves, which may be through effects on myelination and vascularization. Injury severity may influence the efficacy of EPO. Muscle Nerve 56: 143–151, 2017.",
author = "Geary, {Michael B.} and Haiyan Li and Alissa Zingman and John Ketz and Michael Zuscik and {De Mesy Bentley}, {Karen L.} and Mark Noble and Elfar, {John C.}",
note = "Funding Information: All animal procedures were approved by the University Committee on Animal Research (UCAR) at the University of Rochester. Ten-week-old female C57BL6/J mice (Jackson Laboratories, Bar Harbor, Maine), weighing between 20 and 25 g, were anesthesized by intraperitoneal injection of ketamine (60 mg/kg) and xylazine (4 mg/kg). Crush injury was induced as follows. Briefly, the left hindlimb was shaved, washed, and prepped with povidone–iodine, then incisions were made along the lateral length of the femur and through the iliotibial band to expose the sciatic nerve. Once exposed, either mild, moderate, or severe crush injury was induced using diagonal jawed forceps (for mild and moderate crush; Miltex 18-1107 Swiss Cilia Forceps; Integra Miltex, York, Pennsylvania) or a stainless-steel needle holder (for severe crush; Webster Needle Holders RH2560; V. Mueller, CareFusion Corp., San Diego, California), at a point proximal to the sciatic nerve trifurcation into the common fibular, tibial, and sural nerves. The crush was held for 30 seconds in all cases. To quantify the force of the crush injury, pressure-sensitive film (Sensor Products, Inc., Madison, NJ) was used to determine the pressure generated by the surgical instruments. Using known forces, the film was calibrated to provide a linear curve of pixel density vs. pressure (in pascals), with an R2 = 0.98883. ImageJ software (http://imagej.nih.gov; NIH, Bethesda, Maryland) was used to analyze all images. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.",
year = "2017",
month = jul,
doi = "10.1002/mus.25459",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "56",
pages = "143--151",
journal = "Muscle and Nerve",
issn = "0148-639X",
publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Inc.",
number = "1",
}