alpha-Difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) disturbed the sensorimotor functional recovery from a sciatic lesion.

The effects of inhibition of polyamine synthesis on the motor and sensory functional neural recovery after a sciatic crush lesion was studied by measuring sensory and motor function of a crushed sciatic nerve after daily exposure to alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO). DFMO increased the time needed for functional motor recovery by 13% in the toe-spread test when the lesion was about 20 mm proximal to the target muscle. DFMO reduced the rate of sensory axonal elongation by 24% in the pinch-test.