Effects of systemically administered cholecalciferal and vitamin B complex on mental nerve injury in rats

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of systemic cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) and vitamin B complex (B1, B6, B12) on crush-injured mental nerve in rats using histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses to assess nerve degeneration and regeneration. Thirty-two Wistar Albino rats were subjected to standardized mental nerve crush injury using a Yasargil aneurysm clip and divided into four groups: Control /Sham (Group 1), B vitamin (intraperitoneal) (Group2), D vitamin (oral) (Group 3), and combined (B + D) (Group 4). After 4 weeks, nerve samples were excised for histopathological evaluation (ghost cell and hyperchromatic nuclei counts) and immunohistochemical analysis (S100β and BIII tubulin scores). Data were analyzed using Generalized Linear Models with Bonferroni post-hoc tests. Treatment groups showed significantly lower ghost cell counts (e.g., Group 3: 15.33 ± 3.50 vs. Control: 53.67 ± 9.63, p < 0.001) and hyperchromatic nuclei counts (e.g., Group 4: 28.00 ± 5.40 vs. Control: 34.33 ± 4.37, p = 0.004) compared to controls. Immunohistochemically, Group 4 exhibited significantly higher ßIII tubulin scores (3.17 ± 0.39 vs. Control: 1.75 ± 0.46, p < 0.001), indicating enhanced axonal regeneration, while S100β scores were similar between Group 3 and 4 (1.83 ± 0.39, p = 1.000). After a 4-week healing period, cholecalciferol and vitamin B complex, particularly in combination, significantly reduced axonal degeneration and promoted early nerve regeneration in a rat mental nerve injury model. These findings suggest potential as adjunctive therapies for nerve recovery in oral and maxillofacial surgery, pending clinical validation.