J Korean Soc Plast Reconstr Surg.  1999 May;26(3):353-359.

Effects of Acetyl-L Carnitine on Recovery from Sciatic Nerve Injury in Rats

• Cho JW
• Lee JJ
• Sohn YR
• Yoo YC
• Yoo SK

Abstract

A possible therapeutic effect of acetyl-L carnitine (ALCAR) on peripheral nerve injuries and the expression of Jun, the protein products of immediate-early genes(IEGs), in the spinal cord were investigated after sciatic nerve injury in Sprague-Dawley rats. Experimental animals were divided into 3 groups: intact sciatic nerve as a control group, surgical repair alone, and surgical repair with ALCAR treatment. Toe-spreading response, pinprick response, and compound action potential were measured to evaluate the recovery of sciatic nerve injury. Recovery of behavioral function and electrophysiological function both improved in the surgical repair with ALCAR treatment group. Weak basal expression of Jun was shown in the ventral horn the of spinal cord in the control group. In the surgical repair alone group or the surgical repair with ALCAR treatment group, Jun expression persisted until 28 days after injury in the ventral horn of the spinal cord. Moreover, the surgical repair with ALCAR treatment group showed more increased expression of Jun than the surgical repair alone group. These results suggest that ALCAR facilitates the functional recovery after peripheral nerve injury.

MeSH Terms

Acetylcarnitine
Action Potentials
Animals
Carnitine*
Horns
Peripheral Nerve Injuries
Rats*
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Sciatic Nerve*
Spinal Cord
Acetylcarnitine
Carnitine