Ozkunt O.Sariyilmaz K.Gemalmaz H.C.Gürgen S.G.Yener U.Dikici F.2024-07-222024-07-22201710225536http://akademikarsiv.cbu.edu.tr:4000/handle/123456789/15321Background: 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.EnglishAll Open Access; Gold Open AccessAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalErythropoietinFemaleGlial Fibrillary Acidic ProteinLaminectomyMethylprednisoloneNeuroprotective AgentsProto-Oncogene Proteins c-sisRatsRats, Sprague-DawleyRecovery of FunctionSpinal Cord InjuriesThoracic Vertebraeerythropoietinglial fibrillary acidic proteinmethylprednisoloneplatelet derived growth factor beta receptorsodium chlorideerythropoietinglial fibrillary acidic proteinmethylprednisoloneneuroprotective agentplatelet derived growth factor Badultanimal cellanimal experimentanimal modelanimal tissueArticleBasso Beattie and Bresnahan locomotor rating scalecomparative effectivenesscontrolled studydrug efficacyexperimental spinal cord injuryfemaleimmunohistochemistrymotor performanceneurologic disease assessmentnonhumanprotein expressionratspinal cord injurySprague Dawley ratanimalcomparative studyconvalescencedisease modellaminectomymetabolismspinal cord injurythoracic vertebraArticle10.1177/2309499017739481