Kim Do-Hyung, Sim Ki-Bum
Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Department of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, Jeju National University, Jeju, Korea.
Korean J Neurotrauma. 2023 Jun 23;19(2):204-217. doi: 10.13004/kjnt.2023.19.e28. eCollection 2023 Jun.
Animal models of spinal cord injuries (SCIs) use rats to simulate human SCIs. Among the various techniques, clips have been used to reproduce the compression-contusion model. However, the mechanism of injury in discogenic incomplete SCI may differ from that in clip injury; however, a model has yet to be established. Previously, we issued a patent (No. 10-2053770) for a rat SCI model using Merocel, a water-absorbing self-expanding polymer sponge. The objectives of this study were to compare the locomotor and histopathological changes between the Merocel-compression model (MC group) and clip compression model (clip group).
This study included 4 groups of rats: MC (n=30), MC-sham (n=5), clip (n=30), and clip-sham (n=5). Locomotor function was evaluated in all groups using the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) scoring system, 4 weeks after injury. Histopathological analyses included morphology, presence of inflammatory cells, microglial activation, and extent of neuronal damage, which were compared among the groups.
The BBB scores in the MC group were significantly higher than those in the clip group throughout the 4 weeks (<0.01). Neuropathological changes in the MC group were significantly less severe than those in the clip group. In addition, motor neurons were well preserved in the ventral horn of the MC group but poorly preserved in the ventral horn of the clip group.
The novel MC group can help elucidate the pathophysiology of acute discogenic incomplete SCIs and may be applied in various SCI therapeutic strategies.
脊髓损伤（SCI）动物模型利用大鼠来模拟人类SCI。在各种技术中，夹子已被用于重现压迫 - 挫伤模型。然而，椎间盘源性不完全性SCI的损伤机制可能与夹子损伤的机制不同；然而，尚未建立相关模型。此前，我们已为一种使用吸水性自膨胀聚合物海绵Merocel的大鼠SCI模型申请了专利（专利号10 - 2053770）。本研究的目的是比较Merocel压迫模型（MC组）和夹子压迫模型（夹子组）之间的运动和组织病理学变化。
本研究包括4组大鼠：MC组（n = 30）、MC假手术组（n = 5）、夹子组（n = 30）和夹子假手术组（n = 5）。损伤后4周，使用Basso、Beattie和Bresnahan（BBB）评分系统对所有组的运动功能进行评估。组织病理学分析包括形态学、炎症细胞的存在、小胶质细胞活化和神经元损伤程度，并在各组之间进行比较。
在整个4周内，MC组的BBB评分显著高于夹子组（<0.01）。MC组的神经病理学变化明显比夹子组轻。此外，MC组腹角运动神经元保存良好，而夹子组腹角运动神经元保存较差。
新型MC组有助于阐明急性椎间盘源性不完全性SCI的病理生理学，并可能应用于各种SCI治疗策略。
