Therapeutic Potential of Vitamin B Complex in Peripheral Nerve Injury Recovery: An Experimental Rat Model Study

Abstract

Objectives: Vitamin B complexes are frequently used in clinical practice for peripheral nerve trauma. However, there is a lack of scientific data on their effectiveness. This study aims to investigate the impact of the vitamin B complex on nerve recovery in a rat model of peripheral nerve paralysis. Materials and Methods: Sixty male Wistar Albino rats were divided into six groups. Models of nerve injury, including blunt trauma, nerve incision, and autograft, were performed on all rats approximately 1 cm distal to the sciatic notch. B-complex vitamins were injected intraperitoneally at 0.2 mL/day to the treatment groups. The control groups were given 0.2 mL/day saline. After 1 month, the study was terminated, electromyography (EMG) was performed to measure the conduction velocity, and nerve tissue was taken from the repair line. The sciatic function indexes (SFIs) were calculated and analyzed. The histopathological samples were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and Toluidine blue and examined with a light microscope. Pathologically, myelination, fibrosis, edema, and mast cell densities in the nervous tissue were evaluated. Results: The vitamin B treatment groups demonstrated significant improvements in SFI compared to the control groups, indicating functional improvement in nerve damage (p < 0.05). In the nerve graft group, the vitamin B group showed a shorter latency, higher velocity, and larger peak-to-peak compared to the controls (p < 0.05). In the nerve transection group, the vitamin B group had better latency, velocity, and peak-to-peak values than the controls (p < 0.05). In the crush injury group, the vitamin B group exhibited an improved latency, velocity, and peak-to-peak compared to the controls (p < 0.05). Better myelination, less fibrosis, edema, and mast cells were also in the vitamin B group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Vitamin B treatment significantly improves nerve healing and function in peripheral nerve injuries. It enhances nerve conduction, reduces fibrosis, and promotes myelination, indicating its therapeutic potential in nerve regeneration.

Keywords: nerve healing; peripheral nerve injury; rat; vitamin B complex.

Figure 1

Surgical procedures according to groups.

Figure 2

Comparison of sciatic function index (SFI) between groups.

Figure 3

(A) In transverse sections stained with Giemsa and Mason, the connective tissue sheaths of the nerve appeared in their normal structure. (B) Minimal edema was evaluated between the axons as vacuolization in the endoneurium layer. Sections stained with phosphotungstic acid-hematoxylin (PTAH) displayed irregularities and variations in the thicknesses of the myelin sheaths, along with non-myelinated axons wrapped in Schwann cell sheaths among the myelinated axons. (C) In other transverse sections stained with Giemsa and Mason, dense fibrosis and small axons were observed around the nerve’s peripheral region, whereas medium-sized axons were detected in the central region without fibrosis. (D) Sections stained with PTAH showed that thin to medium-thick myelin sheaths were predominant, with occasional irregularities and fluctuations. Minimal fibrosis was found in the endoneural tissue between the axons, and unmyelinated axons were also present. (E) Additional sections stained with Giemsa and Mason revealed varying sizes of axon sections accompanied by minimal edema. (F) In sections stained with PTAH, medium-sized myelinated axons with regular myelin sheaths were primarily observed. Some myelinated axons exhibited vacuoles between the axolemma and myelin sheaths, and there were also partially [12] myelin-free axon sections.