Peripheral Nerve Regeneration Following Crush Injury to Rat Peroneal Nerve by Aqueous Extract of Medicinal Mushroom Hericium erinaceus (Bull.: Fr) Pers. (Aphyllophoromycetideae)
Figure 5
The morphology of silver-cholinesterase stained longitudinal section of extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle of rat after 14 days of peroneal nerve crush injury. Arrows indicate the axons. Asterisks indicate the motor endplates. 20x magnification. (a) Normal unoperated limb. Axons bundles are clear and compact. (b) Operated limb in negative control group—distilled water (10 mL kg−1 body weight per day). Wallerian degeneration can be detected. (c) Operated limb in low dose of aqueous extract group—H. erinaceus fresh fruiting bodies (10 mL kg−1 body weight per day). Loose axon bundles indicate regeneration process is on-going. Polyneuronal innervation can be seen. (d) Operated limb in high dose of aqueous extract group—H. erinaceus fresh fruiting bodies (20 mL kg−1 body weight per day). The presence of motor endplates contacted by either one or more than one axon terminal can be observed. (e) Operated limb in positive control group—mecobalamin (130 g kg−1 body weight per day). Axon bundles are more compact, regeneration process is more advanced compared to aqueous extract group.
