Investigation of efficacy of treatment in spinal cord injury: Erythropoietin versus methylprednisolone
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Date
2017
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Abstract
Background: Investigation of the expression of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-β and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in rats with spinal cord injury as a marker of neurologic recovery between groups treated with erythropoietin (EPO) and methylprednisolone (MP). Methods: Thirty adult female rats were randomly divided into three even groups. A laminectomy was applied to thoracic ninth vertebra and contusion injury was induced by extradural application of an aneurysm clip. Group 1 rats received one-time intrathecal administration of normal saline, group 2 rats received MP, and group 3 rats received EPO. Motor neurological function was evaluated by the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scale. Thirty days after the surgery, T8–10 segments of the spinal cords were extracted and the immunohistochemical assay revealed the number of PDGF-β-and GFAP-positive cells. Results: Evaluation of the last control animal showed that BBB score in the EPO group showed an increase from 1 to 12 (p < 0.05). The immunohistochemical assay revealed that the number of PDGF-β-and GFAP-positive cells was significantly higher in EPO group (p = 0.000) when compared to MP and control groups. After studying the effect of PDGF-β expression on the locomotor function, we determined that PDGF-β expression and locomotor function after a spinal injury has a strong relationship (p < 0.05). Conclusion: EPO seems to better increase the expression of PDGF-β, thus produce better results in locomotor functions when compared to MP. © The Author(s) 2017.
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Keywords
Animals , Disease Models, Animal , Erythropoietin , Female , Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein , Laminectomy , Methylprednisolone , Neuroprotective Agents , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-sis , Rats , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Recovery of Function , Spinal Cord Injuries , Thoracic Vertebrae , erythropoietin , glial fibrillary acidic protein , methylprednisolone , platelet derived growth factor beta receptor , sodium chloride , erythropoietin , glial fibrillary acidic protein , methylprednisolone , neuroprotective agent , platelet derived growth factor B , adult , animal cell , animal experiment , animal model , animal tissue , Article , Basso Beattie and Bresnahan locomotor rating scale , comparative effectiveness , controlled study , drug efficacy , experimental spinal cord injury , female , immunohistochemistry , motor performance , neurologic disease assessment , nonhuman , protein expression , rat , spinal cord injury , Sprague Dawley rat , animal , comparative study , convalescence , disease model , laminectomy , metabolism , spinal cord injury , thoracic vertebra