Olakowska Edyta, Marcol Wiesław, Właszczuk Adam, Woszczycka-Korczyńska Izabella, Lewin-Kowalik Joanna
Department of Physiology, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland.
Adv Clin Exp Med. 2017 Dec;26(9):1329-1334. doi: 10.17219/acem/65478.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is an important cause of impairment of sensory and motor nerve function. It has been shown that free-radical species play an important role in the pathogenesis of acute tissue trauma after SCI. There are no proven pharmacological therapies that provide neuroprotection and stimulate axonal growth after trauma.
The aim of this study was to investigate the neuroprotective effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on the regeneration of spinal cord injuries in rats.
A total of 20 male Wistar C rats were subjected to SCI and divided into control and experimental groups. In the control group (n = 10) trepanation and SCI by means of a pressure impactor was performed without any therapy. In the study group (n = 10), 1 dose of NAC was applied intraperitoneally (150 mg/kg b.w.) immediately after SCI, and another one after 24 h. The functional outcome on the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) scale and sciatic functional index (SFI) and morphological features of regeneration were analyzed during a 12-week follow-up. The spinal cords and brains were collected 12 weeks after SCI for histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses.
The rats treated with NAC presented some improvement in locomotor activity and spinal cord morphology when compared to the control group. Namely, the hind paw angle of rotation was significantly lower in the NAC group than in the control group. No differences were observed between the control and study groups in terms of interlimb coordination. The area of the main lesion was only slightly decreased in the NAC group as compared to the control group. The length of lesions in the injured spinal cord in the NAC group was diminished in comparison to the control group. The number of FG-positive cells was higher in the NAC group than in the control group.
The study showed that the neuroprotective activity of NAC had limited positive influence on the regeneration of the isolated SCI in rats.
脊髓损伤（SCI）是感觉和运动神经功能受损的重要原因。研究表明，自由基在脊髓损伤后急性组织创伤的发病机制中起重要作用。目前尚无经证实的能提供神经保护并刺激创伤后轴突生长的药物疗法。
本研究旨在探讨N-乙酰半胱氨酸（NAC）对大鼠脊髓损伤再生的神经保护作用。
将20只雄性Wistar C大鼠进行脊髓损伤，并分为对照组和实验组。对照组（n = 10）采用开颅术并通过压力冲击器造成脊髓损伤，未进行任何治疗。研究组（n = 10）在脊髓损伤后立即腹腔注射1剂NAC（150 mg/kg体重），24小时后再注射1剂。在12周的随访期间，分析Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan（BBB）评分和坐骨神经功能指数（SFI）的功能结果以及再生的形态学特征。脊髓损伤12周后收集脊髓和脑进行组织病理学和免疫组织化学分析。
与对照组相比，接受NAC治疗的大鼠在运动活动和脊髓形态方面有一定改善。具体而言，NAC组的后爪旋转角度明显低于对照组。对照组和研究组在肢体间协调性方面未观察到差异。与对照组相比，NAC组主要损伤区域仅略有减小。与对照组相比，NAC组损伤脊髓中的损伤长度有所缩短。NAC组中FG阳性细胞的数量高于对照组。
该研究表明，NAC的神经保护活性对大鼠孤立性脊髓损伤的再生有有限的积极影响。
