Neural mobilization promotes nerve regeneration by nerve growth factor and myelin protein zero increased after sciatic nerve injury

Neurotrophins are crucial in relation to axonal regrowth and remyelination following injury; and neural mobilization (NM) is a noninvasive therapy that clinically is effective in neuropathic pain treatment, but its mechanisms remains unclear. We examined the effects of NM on the regeneration of sciatic nerve after chronic constriction injury (CCI) in rats. The CCI was performed on adult male rats, submitted to 10 sessions of NM, starting 14 days after CCI. Then, the nerves were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy and western blot for neural growth factor (NGF) and myelin protein zero (MPZ). We observed an increase of NGF and MPZ after CCI and NM. Electron microscopy revealed that CCI-NM samples had high numbers of axons possessing myelin sheaths of normal thickness and less inter-axonal fibrosis than the CCI. These data suggest that NM is effective in facilitating nerve regeneration and NGF and MPZ are involved in this effect.