Early co-administration of vitamin E acetate and methylcobalamin improves thermal hyperalgesia and motor nerve conduction velocity following sciatic nerve crush injury in rats.

Our previous studies have shown that early administration of vitamin E acetate (50 mg/kg, ip (VEA)) and methylcobalamin (500 microg/kg, ip (MCA)) for 30 days improved conduction velocity and neuropathic pain behavior. Here, we evaluated the effect of early co-administration of VEA and MCA (MVE) on thermal hyperlagesia (TH) and motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV) in rats with sciatic nerve crush injury (SNCI). Fifteen days post-surgery, a reduction in paw withdrawal latency (PWL) was observed in untreated (UNTR) rats. However, latency improved in MVE-treated animals, comparable to the placebo. On day 15, a decrease in MNCV was observed in the UNTR group of animals, and this effect was not observed for the MVE and placebo groups of animals. The results of this study indicate that early exposure to MVE attenuates the progression of TH and improves MNCV in rats with SNCI.