High-voltage electrical stimulation improves nerve regeneration after sciatic crush injury

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Regenerative Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Peripheral nerve injuries lead to significant, long-lasting functional deficits.
• Developing strategies to accelerate nerve regeneration remains a critical clinical challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of high-voltage electrical stimulation (HVES) on nerve regeneration following crush injury in a rat model.
• To assess both the morphometric (structural) and functional recovery of regenerated nerves.

Main Methods:

• Twenty Wistar rats underwent sciatic nerve crush injury and were divided into four groups: Control, Denervated (D), Denervated + HVES, and SHAM.
• High-voltage electrical stimulation (100 Hz, 100 V, 20 μs pulse width) was applied to relevant groups for 30 min/day, 5 days/week.
• Functional recovery was measured using the sciatic functional index (SFI) at specific postoperative time points, alongside histological analysis of neural components, connective tissue, blood vessels, and macrophages.

Main Results:

• HVES treatment resulted in significantly larger axonal diameters and increased myelin sheath thickness compared to the denervated group.
• Functional recovery, assessed by SFI, was notably improved in the HVES group by the 14th postoperative day.
• The HVES group exhibited reduced area density of macrophages and connective tissue, suggesting a less fibrotic and inflammatory environment.

Conclusions:

• High-voltage electrical stimulation effectively accelerates functional recovery after peripheral nerve crush injury in rats.
• HVES promotes nerve fiber maturation and reduces the density of connective tissue and macrophages at the injury site.
• These findings suggest HVES is a promising therapeutic modality for enhancing neural repair and regeneration.