EFFECT OF TESTOSTERONE ADMINISTRATION ON THE REGENERATION OF SCIATIC NERVE IN CASTRATED MALE RAT

Received: 9 June, 2009; Accepted: 21 Oct, 2009 Abstract Considering the limits of accessing to safe and appropriate donor sites for nerves graft, risk of neuroma, and fibrous tissue formation, it is necessity to study on finding appropriate alternatives for successful nerve regeneration. After injuring of sciatic nerve, rats were divided into 6 groups as follows: testectomy without testosterone injection; testectomy with testosterone injection; without testectomy with testosterone injection; control (injury and regeneration of nerve plus normal saline injection), Sham surgery and normal. All the animals were studied 7, 21, 35, 60 and 90 days after the surgery by sensory and motor tests or (Sciatic functional index) SFI and at the end of the 12th week they were restudied by light microscope. The response delay mean to a painful stimulation in group one was significantly lower than groups three and four. There was no significant differences between the experimental groups in SFI mean by the end of the fourth week after regeneration. The mean difference of SFI from the fourth week to end of the twelfth week was significant in the first group than the second and third group. The total number of myelin axons of the first group at the end of the twelfth week was significantly different from the second and third groups and myelin thickness of first group was notably different from the third group. Testosterone injection can be useful during regeneration period in order to enhance wound healing and peripheral nerves injuries, particularly in patients with sexual disorders.