Complications and Therapeutic Approaches in a Sciatic Nerve Injury Rat Model

Abstract

Sciatic nerve injury (SNI) is a common model for studying peripheral nerve damage and regeneration. This study investigates the complications associated with acute nerve injury (ANI) by laceration of sciatic nerve in rats including infection, edema, and cannibalism, and evaluates the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions to modulate the observed complications. For this purpose eighteen female wistar albino rats were divided into three groups: control, sham-operated, and ANI. The ANI model induced with dissection and repair of the right sciatic nerve. Post-surgical care included the administration of diclofenac sodium for pain management. Observations were made for signs of infection, edema, hematoma, and survival rates within 10 days. The ANI group showed significant complications, including a 41.6% incidence of symptoms of pain (paraesthesia, allodynia, hyperalgesia, decreased activity, piloerection, excessive licking, un-groomed appearance) within 3 days, which increased to 60% by day 5. Edema was observed in 8.3% of the ANI rats, and 33.3% developed hematomas. Cannibalism rates also increased, particularly within 10 days post-injury. Survival rates in the ANI group decreased to 16.6% by day 10, indicating severe post-operative complications. The current study highlights the critical complications associated with ANI in rats, particularly the high rates of pain related symptoms (i.e. paresthesia and cannibalism). These findings suggest the need for improved post-operative care and highlight the importance of therapeutic interventions like opioid analgesics to mitigate these complications and enhance recovery outcomes in peripheral nerve injury models.