Methanolic extract of Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) escalates functional restoration following a compression injury to the sciatic nerve in a mouse model

Abstract

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is one of the major health concerns faced by the community at present. Till now, available therapeutic approaches are ineffective to fully heal a nerve injury and to assure the functional recovery entirely. Natural compounds can prove attractive and effective drug candidates to bridge up this gap. In this scenario, the present study was designed to explore the role of methanolic extract of Foeniculum vulgare (F. vulgare) seeds in accelerating the function regain following a sciatic nerve injury in a mouse model. For this purpose, 12 adult healthy albino mice (BALB/C), 8–10 weeks old, were grouped as control (Ctrl, n = 6) and treatment (Trt, n = 6). The treated group was given methanolic extract of F. vulgare (200 mg/kg per day) started from the day of nerve crush until the end of the study. The sensorimotor function regain assessed by hot plate test, grip strength, and SFI assessments was found significantly (p < .05) ameliorated in the F. vulgare‐treated group. A prominent improvement in the muscle mass of the treated group further affirmed these effects. Furthermore, morphometric analysis of muscle fiber cross‐sectional area of tibialis anterior muscle between groups revealed a noticeable improvement in muscle fibers’ diameter of the treated group. Conclusively, these findings suggest that F. vulgare methanolic extract exhibits the potential to escalate functional recovery following a peripheral nerve injury. However, the real players of this extract and the mechanism involved in boosting functional restoration need to be dissected by further work.

Calotropis procera (leaves) supplementation exerts curative effects on promoting functional recovery in a mouse model of peripheral nerve injury

“…So we measured and compared their muscle mass from ipsilateral and contralateral hindlimbs after dissecting them out from the mice to find the recovery in muscle mass of the affected side. The administration of fennel seeds and extract (Imran et al., 2019 ; Maqbool et al., 2020 ), Neurada procumbens (Rasul et al., 2019 ), crude Moringa leaves (Razzaq, Hussain, et al., 2020 ) in animal model of peripheral nerve injury showed comparatively improved muscle mass ratio which had been reported to be due to the positive impact of treatments on enhancing neuronal growth. Another study showing the implication of cytokine cocktail's effect on axonal regeneration in the mouse model reported the potential recovery in muscle mass under the influence of treatment (Maki et al, 2021 ).…”

Nanosuspension of Foeniculum Vulgare Promotes Accelerated Sensory and Motor Function Recovery after Sciatic Nerve Injury

“…The slides were stained with hematoxylin and eosin stain. Images were observed at 40× magnification using a light microscope (XSZ 107BN, Beijing, China) and captured using a digital camera (Optikam B1, Optika, Ponteranica, Italy) [ 27 ].…”

“…The recovering subjects were allowed to stand on hot plate (54 ± 1 °C) until showing any response. The mean response time was recorded as the hot plate latency (HPL) period, after three measurements [ 27 ].…”

“…Phytoconstituents with antioxidant potential are potent to accelerate functional recovery after nerve injury [ 25 , 26 ]. Recent studies have demonstrated that oral administration of crude and methanolic exact of FV could effectively accelerate the regaining of function after sciatic nerve injury [ 27 , 28 ]. The plant metabolites generally show low bioavailability due to their pH-sensitive chemical nature and poor adsorption across biological membranes [ 29 , 30 ].…”

Chitosan nanoparticles loaded with Foeniculum vulgare extract regulate retrieval of sensory and motor functions in mice

“…A very recnt study has evaluated the phenolic composition of FVSE and validated their high antioxidative stress potential [ 19 ]. Recently, it has been observed that crude and methanolic exacts of FV were effective for accelerated recovery after induced PNI [ 20 , 21 ]. The applications of FV reduced neuronal toxicity by controlling oxidative stress and expressions of amyloid precursor proteins [ 22 ].…”