Appropriate dosage, timing, and site of intramuscular injections of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) promote motor recovery after facial nerve injury in rats.

Introduction/aims: Daily intramuscular injections of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) but not of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) significantly improve whisking behavior and mono-innervation of the rat levator labii superioris (LLS) muscle 56 days after buccal nerve transection and suture (buccal-buccal anastomosis, BBA). We explored the dose-response of BDNF, FGF2, and insulin growth factor 2 (IGF2) on the same parameters, asking whether higher doses of BDNF would promote recovery.

Methods: After BBA, growth factors were injected (30 μL volume) daily into the LLS muscle over 14, 28, or 56 days.

Solvent-Enhanced Conformational Flexibility of Cyclic Tetrapeptides.

Solvent and temperature can affect the structural properties of cyclic peptides by controlling their flexibility. Here, we investigate two cyclic peptides, featuring beta turns. Using temperature-dependent NMR and FT-IR, we observed a pronounced temperature effect on the conformation of the cyclic peptide D-1 in CHCl but a much smaller effect in CH CN.