Table 3.
Mean Gastrocnemius muscle weights at experimental endpoint.
| Exp. Group |
Left Gastrocnemius (g) |
Right Gastrocnemius (g) |
% Weight decrease in Right Gastrocnemius |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean ± SD | Mean ± SD | Mean | |
| 1 | 2.28 ± 0.17 | 1.40 ± 0.21 | 38.39 ± 9.37 |
| 2 | 2.07 ± 0.08 | 1.39 ± 0.19 | 32.97 ± 7.93 |
| 3 | 2.15 ± 0.17 | 1.45 ± 0.15 | 32.20 ± 10.10 |
| 4 | 2.29 ± 0.13 | 1.50 ± 0.09 | 34.21 ± 5.69 |
| 5 | 2.45 ± 0.28 | 1.61 ± 0.07 | 33.52 ± 8.16 |
| 6 | 2.46 ± 0.13 | 1.63 ± 0.20 | 33.32 ± 8.93 |
| 7 | 2.26 ± 0.11 | 1.44 ± 0.16 | 36.30 ± 6.25 |
| 8 | 2.18 ± 0.12 | 1.35 ± 0.16 | 37.80 ± 7.10 |
| 9 | 2.15 ± 0.07 | 1.41 ± 0.11 | 34.07 ± 5.37 |
| 10 | 2.17 ± 0.09 | 1.17 ± 0.16 | 45.84 ± 9.64 |
There was a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in the gastrocnemius muscle weight in the sciatic nerve repaired limb (right) compared to contralateral naïve/normal (left) limb in all experimental groups studied. However, none of the treatment groups showed significant reduction in loss of gastrocnemius muscle mass at experimental end point (≥16 weeks post-nerve repair) compared to contralateral limb. N = 6 rats per group.