Effects of Intraperitoneally Administered Folic Acid on the Healing of Repaired Tibial Nerves in Rats

Abstract

In this study, 6-week intraperitoneal administration of 80 µg/kg of folic acid significantly improved peripheral nerve healing. Histological analysis of the group that received folic acid revealed increased axon myelination with little granular tissue or fibrosis. We propose that folic acid supplementation may be an effective component of peripheral nerve injury treatment.

Effective <i>in vitro</i> differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells into Schwann-like cells with folic acid supplementation

“…Yilmaz et al have shown that FA protects diabetic rats from diabetic peripheral neuropathy by reducing malondialdehyde levels and upregulating NGF expression (35). Harma et al have found that FA improved peripheral nerve healing and increased axon myelination in a rat sciatic nerve injury model (17). Bridging the sciatic nerve defect using an FA-coated nerve conduit improved the sciatic nerve function index and the nerve conduction velocity.…”

“…The FA / Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) / AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)α axis improves survival and induces myelination of oligodendrocytes, and thus, enhances the maturity of oligodendrocytes in vivo and in vitro (16). FA supplementation has been shown to be effective in PNI treatment (17). A recent study on a rat PNI model has demonstrated that FA promoted proliferation and migration of SCs and secretion of NGF to improve the repair of peripheral nerve damage (18).…”

A Variation in FGF14 Is Associated with Downbeat Nystagmus in a Genome-Wide Association Study

“…Folates play an important role in single carbon metabolism, such as DNA synthesis and methylation, regulation of gene expression, and synthesis of amino acids, nucleic acids, and neurotransmitters [50]. There is also evidence of pro-regenerative effects of folate in the adult CNS [51], as well as on peripheral neurons [52] which depend essentially on DHFR [53]. Blocking DHFR function by administration of the folate analogue and DHFR antagonist methotrexate (MTX) leads to neurotoxic effects in the cerebellum of newborn rats [54] as well as to the degeneration of PCs in guinea pigs, which could be rescued by application of the tetrahydrofolate derivative leucovorin [55].…”

Tissue Engineering Therapies Based on Folic Acid and Other Vitamin B Derivatives. Functional Mechanisms and Current Applications in Regenerative Medicine

“…On the other hand, regarding the peripheral nervous system and emulating the experiments of Iskandar et al, Harma et al assessed the effects of the intraperitoneal administration of folic acid on tibial nerve repair in rats [52]. A folate dose of 80 µg/kg gave the best results, significantly reducing latency values (which indicated axonal repair and improvement in nerve conduction), and enhancing the number and intensity of axons.…”