Moradi Fatemeh, Fakhri Sajad, Kiani Amir, Abbaszadeh Fatemeh, Farzaei Mohammad Hosein, Echeverría Javier
Student Research Committee, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
Front Pharmacol. 2025 Apr 28;16:1545049. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1545049. eCollection 2025.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to widespread cascades of inflammatory and oxidative factors. This pathological condition damages nerves and causes neurological disorders. To address these complex conditions, it is important to identify therapeutic candidates that affect multiple dysregulated signaling mediators and targets. Some phytochemicals such as naringin (NAI) with neuroprotective, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects can be seen as a possible candidate for treating neurodegenerative diseases.
Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the impact and mechanism of NAI on sensory and motor function in rats with SCI.
In total, 35 rats were studied in five groups, including sham, SCI, and three groups treated with intrathecal administration of NAI (5, 10, and 15 mM). After the injury, sensorimotor behavioral tests and weight changes were performed for 4 weeks. On the 28 day, the serum of rats was checked to measure biochemical factors such as catalase, glutathione, and nitrite and the activity of metalloproteinases 2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9. Also, histological changes in spinal cord tissue were evaluated weekly for 4 weeks.
NAI treatment demonstrated significant benefits in rats with SCI, including reducing pain, improvement in motor performance, and attenuated animal weight gain. Besides, NAI decreased the lesion area of spinal tissue and enhanced neuronal survival at both ventral and dorsal horns of spinal tissue. Furthermore, serum analysis revealed that NAI increased MMP-2 activity and catalase and glutathione levels while decreasing nitrite and MMP-9 activity.
The intrathecal administration of NAI can be proposed as a proper alternative in the treatment of sensory-motor disorders caused by SCI through neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant mechanisms.
脊髓损伤（SCI）会引发广泛的炎症和氧化因子级联反应。这种病理状况会损害神经并导致神经功能障碍。为了应对这些复杂情况，识别影响多种失调信号介质和靶点的治疗候选物非常重要。一些具有神经保护、抗氧化和抗炎作用的植物化学物质，如柚皮苷（NAI），可被视为治疗神经退行性疾病的潜在候选物。
因此，本研究旨在评估NAI对SCI大鼠感觉和运动功能的影响及机制。
总共35只大鼠被分为五组进行研究，包括假手术组、SCI组以及鞘内注射NAI（5、10和15 mM）的三组。损伤后，进行了4周的感觉运动行为测试和体重变化监测。在第28天，检测大鼠血清以测量过氧化氢酶、谷胱甘肽和亚硝酸盐等生化因子以及金属蛋白酶2（MMP - 2）和MMP - 9的活性。此外，在4周内每周评估脊髓组织的组织学变化。
NAI治疗对SCI大鼠显示出显著益处，包括减轻疼痛、改善运动性能以及减轻动物体重增加。此外，NAI减小了脊髓组织的损伤面积，并增强了脊髓组织腹角和背角的神经元存活。此外，血清分析表明，NAI增加了MMP - 2活性以及过氧化氢酶和谷胱甘肽水平，同时降低了亚硝酸盐和MMP - 9活性。
鞘内注射NAI可通过神经保护、抗炎和抗氧化机制，作为治疗SCI引起的感觉运动障碍的合适替代方法。
