Regenerative MedicineRapamycin Helps Injured Nerves Recover and Preserves Muscle in Mice
Rapamycin helped mice recover after a crushed sciatic nerve by supporting injured nerves, spinal cord connections, and muscles disconnected from their nerve supply. Treated mice showed faster nerve growth, better restoration of the protective coating around nerves, and less muscle wasting. Their walking, electrical muscle responses, and recovery of movement and sensation also improved. Laboratory experiments supported effects on cells involved in nerve repair. Changes in cellular recycling and growth signals accompanied these benefits, but the abstract does not establish exactly how rapamycin produced them. The findings are relevant to preserving mobility and physical function, not proof of longer life or slower aging. This summary is based on the abstract only, which lacks doses, sample sizes, and numerical benefits. Human effectiveness and safety for nerve repair remain unproven.
