Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Translational Neuroscience
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1442614

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor promotes regeneration of severed facial nerve in rats

Provisionally accepted
Yoko Fujimaki Yoko Fujimaki 1*Kenji Kondo Kenji Kondo 1*Hironobu Nishijima Hironobu Nishijima 1*Shu Kikuta Shu Kikuta 2*Tatsuya Yamasoba Tatsuya Yamasoba 1*
  • 1 Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
  • 2 Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The administration of growth and neurotrophic factors has been attempted experimentally as a new therapeutic strategy for severe facial paralysis. Granulocyte colonystimulating factor (G-CSF) has an effect on the treatment of central nervous system injuries, such as cerebral infarction and spinal cord injury. This study aimed at examining the effects of G-CSF on facial nerve regeneration in rats. Methods: The left facial nerve of rats was either partially resected (resection group) or severed and sutured (suture group) at the main trunk outside the temporal bone. In each surgical group, saline or G-CSF was administered via the gelatin hydrogel drug delivery system. The suture group was further divided into two subgroups for the late administration of G-CSF (2 weeks after surgical treatment) or immediate administration of G-CSF after surgical treatment. Recovery of the facial nerve was assessed by the evaluation of facial movements (after 12 weeks), complex muscle action potential amplitude measurements (after 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks), electroneurography values (after 12 weeks), and histological evaluation (comparison of myelinated axon diameters among the groups). Results: Recovery of the function and morphology of damaged nerves was faster in the suture groups than in the resection group. In the suture groups, recovery was faster for G-CSF-treated rats than for saline-treated rats. Furthermore, recovery was faster in the group that received G-CSF immediately after surgical treatment than in the group that received G-CSF 2 weeks later. However, the group that received G-CSF 2 weeks later also showed faster recovery than did the control group. Conclusion: G-CSF effectively promoted nerve regeneration during facial nerve paralysis. Thus, G-CSF may be a potential treatment strategy for injured facial nerves as it has been safely administered in clinical treatments for hematological diseases.

    Keywords: granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor (G-CSFR), Facial Nerve, Regeneration, drug delivery system, Electroneurography (ENoG)

    Received: 03 Jun 2024; Accepted: 04 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Fujimaki, Kondo, Nishijima, Kikuta and Yamasoba. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Yoko Fujimaki, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, 113-0033, Tokyo, Japan
    Kenji Kondo, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, 113-0033, Tokyo, Japan
    Hironobu Nishijima, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, 113-0033, Tokyo, Japan
    Shu Kikuta, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Nihon University, Tokyo, 102-0074, Japan
    Tatsuya Yamasoba, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, 113-0033, Tokyo, Japan

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.