Ma Junxiong, Liu Jun, Chen Yu, Yu Hailong, Xiang Liangbi
Department of Orthopedics, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang 110000, China;
NeuroSci. 2022 Jun 21;3(3):366-375. doi: 10.3390/neurosci3030026. eCollection 2022 Sep.
In our previous study, metformin was able to promote nerve regeneration after sciatic nerve crushing in rats under diabetic conditions. However, a crush injury also has a strong ability to spontaneously recover. Therefore, in our present study, a model of transection injury of the sciatic nerve in diabetic rats was utilized to detect whether metformin could still promote nerve regeneration. Diabetes was induced via an injection of 50 mg/kg of streptozotocin in rats. After transection injury of the sciatic nerve, the rats were randomly divided into a high-dose metformin group (500 mg/kg/d), mid-dose metformin group (200 mg/kg/d), low-dose metformin group (30 mg/kg/d) and control group (normal saline). The metformin or normal saline was intraperitoneally injected for 4 weeks. Then, behavioral, electrophysiological and morphometric analyses were performed. The results showed that metformin could significantly promote functional restoration and axonal regeneration of the sciatic nerve after transection injury under diabetic conditions. Furthermore, high doses and middle doses of metformin presented more of this ability than a low dose of metformin. In conclusion, metformin is able to accelerate sciatic nerve repair after transection injury under diabetic conditions, showing the therapeutic potential of metformin in the management of nerve injuries during diabetes mellitus.
在我们之前的研究中，二甲双胍能够促进糖尿病状态下大鼠坐骨神经挤压伤后的神经再生。然而，挤压伤本身也具有较强的自发恢复能力。因此，在我们目前的研究中，利用糖尿病大鼠坐骨神经横断损伤模型来检测二甲双胍是否仍能促进神经再生。通过给大鼠注射50mg/kg链脲佐菌素诱导糖尿病。坐骨神经横断损伤后，将大鼠随机分为高剂量二甲双胍组（500mg/kg/d）、中剂量二甲双胍组（200mg/kg/d）、低剂量二甲双胍组（30mg/kg/d）和对照组（生理盐水）。腹腔注射二甲双胍或生理盐水，持续4周。然后，进行行为学、电生理学和形态学分析。结果表明，二甲双胍能够显著促进糖尿病状态下坐骨神经横断损伤后的功能恢复和轴突再生。此外，高剂量和中剂量二甲双胍的这种能力比低剂量二甲双胍更强。总之，二甲双胍能够加速糖尿病状态下坐骨神经横断损伤后的修复，显示出二甲双胍在糖尿病神经损伤管理中的治疗潜力。
