Trophic action of nerve extract on denervated skeletal muscle in vivo: dose dependency, species specificity, and timing of treatment.

Atrophy in a denervated muscle results from the disuse caused by paralysis of the muscle, and from the loss of special neurotrophic substances. Proteins extracted from rats' sciatic nerves have been shown to prevent the nondisuse atrophy of denervated rats' extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles when administered by intramuscular injection. The present investigation elicited more information about this neurotrophic phenomenon. Extract of liver failed to affect the rate of atrophy of denervated EDL muscles. Injection of various doses of extract of rats' or sheep's sciatic nerves indicated that the action of the extract was dose-dependent but not species-specific. Muscles denervated for 14 days and injected with extract on all 14 days or only on the first or last 7 days all exhibited significantly less atrophy than those that were not injected.