The Journal of International Advanced Otology
The Effect of Exanatide on Recovery of the Facial Nerve Crush Injury in the Rat
By Begüm Yılmaz, Ayşe Asli Şahin Yılmaz, Kadri İla and 3 others.
Abstract
Background
Exenatide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, has been shown to promote functional recovery and nerve regeneration after nerve crush injury. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of exenatide on facial nerve regeneration in traumatic facial paralysis.
Methods
This prospective, randomized animal study included 28 healthy female Sprague–Dawley rats divided into 4 groups of 7 rats each: control group, sham group, 2.5 μg/rat/day exenatide-treated group, and 10 μg/rat/day exenatide-treated group. Exenatide was injected subcutaneously for 14 days. Crush injury was applied to the left facial nerve in all groups except the sham group. Functional assessment, electrophysiological, histopathological, and immunohistochemical examinations were performed after crush injury.