scholarly journals Panax ginsengImproves Functional Recovery after Contusive Spinal Cord Injury by Regulating the Inflammatory Response in Rats: AnIn VivoStudy

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young Ock Kim ◽  
Youngkyung Kim ◽  
Koeun Lee ◽  
Sae Won Na ◽  
Seon Pyo Hong ◽  
...  

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in permanent loss of motor function below the injured site. Neuroinflammatory reaction following SCI can aggravate neural injury and functional impairment. Ginseng is well known to possess anti-inflammatory effects. The present study investigated the neuroprotective effects ofPanax ginsengC.A. Mayer (P. ginseng) after SCI. A spinal contusion was made at the T11-12 spinal cord in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=47) using the NYU impactor. Motor function was assessed using the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) score inP. ginseng(0.1, 0.5, 1, 3, and 5 mg/kg) or vehicle (saline) treated after SCI. We also assessed the protein expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) at the lesion site by western blot and then measured the cavity area using luxol fast blue/cresyl violet staining.P. ginsengtreated group in SCI showed a significant improvement in locomotor function after the injury. The protein expression of COX-2 and iNOS at the lesion site and the cavity area were decreased following SCI byP. ginsengtreatment. These results suggest thatP. ginsengmay improve the recovery of motor function after SCI which provides neuroprotection by alleviating posttraumatic inflammatory responses.

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin Wang ◽  
Wangying Dai ◽  
Lijun Shi ◽  
Honglin Teng ◽  
Xigong Li ◽  
...  

Background. Acute spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most common and devastating causes of sensory or motor dysfunction. Nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB)-mediated neuroinflammatory responses, in addition to nitric oxide (NO), are key regulatory pathways in SCI. Paeoniflorin (PF), a major active component extracted from Paeonia roots, has been suggested to exert neuroprotective effects in the central nervous system. However, whether PF could improve the motor function after SCI in vivo is still unclear. Method. Immunohistochemical analysis, western blot, real-time quantitative PCR, immunofluorescence staining, and histopathological and behavioral evaluation were used to explore the effects of paeoniflorin after SCI for 14 days. Results. In this study, PF treatment significantly inhibited NF-κB activation and downregulated the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2), and Nogo-A. Comparing behavioral and histological changes in SCI and PF treatment groups, we found that PF treatment improved motor function recovery, attenuated the histopathological damage, and increased neuronal survival in the SCI model. PF treatment also reduced expression levels of Bax and c-caspase-3 and increased the expression level of Bcl-2 and cell viabilities. Upregulation of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β after injury was also prevented by PF. Conclusion. These results suggest that the neuroprotective effects of PF are related to the inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway. And PF may be a therapeutic strategy in spinal cord injury.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-ri Hong ◽  
Eun-hee Lee ◽  
Ki-su Park ◽  
Mun Han ◽  
Kyoung-Tae Kim ◽  
...  

Abstract Spinal cord injury (SCI) is associated with limited functional recovery. Despite advances in neuroscience, realistic therapeutic treatments for SCI remain unavailable. In this study, the effects of non-invasive ultrasound (US) treatment on behavior and inflammatory responses were evaluated in a rat model of SCI. Adult female Sprague–Dawley rats were subjected to spinal cord contusion injury. Two different US parameters (SCIU5: 5% and SCIU40: 40% duty cycle) were applied, and their effects on behavioral recovery after SCI were quantified. Tissue and neuronal responses were detected. Immunofluorescence was used to detect inflammatory markers. In the rat model of SCI, motor function was more effectively restored, and the lesion cavity area was smaller in the SCIU5 group. Furthermore, the SCIU5 protocol elicited an anti-inflammatory response at the injury site by reducing degenerative FJC-labeled neurons, macrophage/microglia activation, and infiltration. Thus, the lesion area decreased, and tissue density increased. Meanwhile, the SCIU40 protocol did not improve motor function or induce an anti-inflammatory response at the injury site. The SCIU5 protocol effectively accelerated the rate of improved exercise performance in the rat model while reducing inflammation. Accordingly, appropriate US stimulation may represent a promising treatment modality for SCI with beneficial anti-inflammatory effects.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pei Zhang ◽  
Nan Wu ◽  
Zhijun Song ◽  
Zhengfu Tai

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating disease that can cause severe motor, sensory, and autonomic dysfunction. There is currently no effective treatment. Paeonia lactiflora is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, which has antispasmodic, analgesic, and blood circulation effects. Paeoniflorin (PEF) is a medicinal plant isolated from Paeoniae Radio, and it is widely used in East Asia. A large number of studies have shown that PEF has a powerful neuroprotective effect. However, the potential mechanism of PEF on SCI needs further study. This project uses Basso Beattie Bresnahan (BBB) motor function score and open field test to evaluate neurological function, and uses immunofluorescence method to detect brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BNDF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT). -3) Protein expression, Western blot is used to detect protein expression level, and RT-PCR is used to detect mRNA expression level. Thus, a rat spinal cord injury model was established to observe the effects of AT/mTOR and MAPK/ERK signal pathways activated by PEF on nerve regeneration and functional recovery in rats with spinal cord injury.


2021 ◽  
pp. 096032712110033
Author(s):  
Liying Fan ◽  
Jun Dong ◽  
Xijing He ◽  
Chun Zhang ◽  
Ting Zhang

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most common destructive injuries, which may lead to permanent neurological dysfunction. Currently, transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in experimental models of SCI shows promise as effective therapies. BMSCs secrete various factors that can regulate the microenvironment, which is called paracrine effect. Among these paracrine substances, exosomes are considered to be the most valuable therapeutic factors. Our study found that BMSCs-derived exosomes therapy attenuated cell apoptosis and inflammation response in the injured spinal cord tissues. In in vitro studies, BMSCs-derived exosomes significantly inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced PC12 cell apoptosis, reduced the secretion of pro-inflammatory factors including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL (interleukin)-1β and promoted the secretion of anti-inflammatory factors including IL-10 and IL-4. Moreover, we found that LPS-induced protein expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) and nuclear transcription factor-κB (NF-κB) was significantly downregulated after treatment with BMSCs-derived exosomes. In in vivo studies, we found that hindlimb motor function was significantly improved in SCI rats with systemic administration of BMSCs-derived exosomes. We also observed that the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins and pro-inflammatory factors was significantly decreased, while the expression of anti-apoptotic proteins and anti-inflammatory factors were upregulated in SCI rats after exosome treatment. In conclusion, BMSCs-derived exosomes can inhibit apoptosis and inflammation response induced by injury and promote motor function recovery by inhibiting the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway, which suggests that BMSCs-derived exosomes are expected to become a new therapeutic strategy for SCI.


Author(s):  
Hao Zhang ◽  
Alexander Younsi ◽  
Guoli Zheng ◽  
Mohamed Tail ◽  
Anna-Kathrin Harms ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose The Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) pathway has been associated with a protective role after injury to the central nervous system (CNS). We, therefore, investigated the effects of intrathecal Shh-administration in the subacute phase after thoracic spinal cord injury (SCI) on secondary injury processes in rats. Methods Twenty-one Wistar rats were subjected to thoracic clip-contusion/compression SCI at T9. Animals were randomized into three treatment groups (Shh, Vehicle, Sham). Seven days after SCI, osmotic pumps were implanted for seven-day continuous intrathecal administration of Shh. Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) score, Gridwalk test and bodyweight were weekly assessed. Animals were sacrificed six weeks after SCI and immunohistological analyses were conducted. The results were compared between groups and statistical analysis was performed (p < 0.05 was considered significant). Results The intrathecal administration of Shh led to significantly increased polarization of macrophages toward the anti-inflammatory M2-phenotype, significantly decreased T-lymphocytic invasion and significantly reduced resident microglia six weeks after the injury. Reactive astrogliosis was also significantly reduced while changes in size of the posttraumatic cyst as well as the overall macrophagic infiltration, although reduced, remained insignificant. Finally, with the administration of Shh, gain of bodyweight (216.6 ± 3.65 g vs. 230.4 ± 5.477 g; p = 0.0111) and BBB score (8.2 ± 0.2 vs. 5.9 ± 0.7 points; p = 0.0365) were significantly improved compared to untreated animals six weeks after SCI as well. Conclusion Intrathecal Shh-administration showed neuroprotective effects with attenuated neuroinflammation, reduced astrogliosis and improved functional recovery six weeks after severe contusion/compression SCI.


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