Single Dose of Neutrophil Peptide 1 During Surgery Speeds Early Nerve Recovery After Crush Injury

Single intraoperative administration of neutrophil peptide 1 (10 μg/mL) improved nerve conduction velocity, sciatic functional index, and tibialis anterior muscle fiber cross-sectional area at 4 weeks post-crush injury compared to saline controls.

Rat sciatic nerve crush injury model. Single intraoperative dose of 10 μg/mL neutrophil peptide 1 or saline. Sciatic functional index, nerve electrophysiology, histology (H&E staining), muscle wet weight, and myelinated fiber counts assessed at 4 and 8 weeks.

Peripheral nerve injuries are common and recovery is often slow and incomplete. A single-dose peptide treatment applied during surgery is far more practical than repeated injections, making clinical translation more feasible.

Finding treatments that can be applied during nerve surgery to accelerate recovery would be transformative for trauma patients. This single-dose approach with an innate immune peptide suggests that the body's own defense molecules could be repurposed for nerve repair.

Functional improvements at 4 weeks without corresponding structural changes raise questions about the durability and mechanism of benefit. No differences at 8 weeks for some measures suggest the effect may be acceleration of early recovery rather than enhanced overall regeneration. Small animal model.