Abstract
Purpose: To investigate the effects of the androgen testosterone propionate (TP), on regeneration of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) after unilateral crush injury using assessment of vocal fold mobility (VFM) as a measure of behavioral recovery. Methods: 48 adult male rats underwent standardized crush injury of left RLN and received treatment in the form of 2 silastic capsules containing TP or controls receiving a blank capsule (untreated). Direct laryngoscopic assessment of vocal cord mobility was performed before, immediately following and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 weeks post injury. Results: Treatment with TP enhanced the recovery of full VFM following crush injury of the RLN compared to controls. There was statistically significant improvement in VFM seen at the 1 and 2 week time points (p < 0.05). By 4 weeks TP-treated rats displayed a 100% recovery of VFM function, compared to only 50% by the control group. Conclusions: TP enhances RLN functional recovery following a crush injury, which further supports its potential general applicability as a therapeutic agent in peripheral nerve injury.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 169-176 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 24 2013 |
Keywords
- Testosterone propionate
- crush injury
- recurrent laryngeal nerve
- vocal fold mobility
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neurology
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Clinical Neurology