Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2014, Vol. 9 ›› Issue (24): 2174-2181.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.147950

Previous Articles     Next Articles

Thermomineral water promotes axonal sprouting but does not reduce glial scar formation in a mouse model of spinal cord injury

Dubravka Aleksić 1, Milan Aksić 1, Nevena Divac 2, Vidosava Radonjić 1, Branislav Filipović 1, Igor Jakovčevski 3   

  1. 1 Institute of Anatomy “Niko Miljani?”, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
    2 Institute of Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
    3 Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
  • Received:2014-10-10 Online:2014-12-25 Published:2014-12-25
  • Contact: Igor Jakov?evski, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistra?e 52, Hamburg D-20246, Germany, Igor.Jakovcevski@dzne.de.
  • Supported by:

    Aleksi? D, Aksi? M and Divac N were supported by the Southeast Europe Cooperation, Hamburg, Germany.

PDF

625

Abstract:

Thermomineral water from the Atomic Spa Gornja Trep?a has been used for a century in the treatment of neurologic disease. The thermomineral water contains microelements, including lithium and magnesium, which show neural regeneration-promoting effects after central nervous system injury. In this study, we investigated the effects of oral intake of thermomineral water from the Atomic Spa Gornja Trep?a on nerve regeneration in a 3-month-old mouse model of spinal cord injury. The mice receiving oral intake of thermomineral water showed better locomotor recovery than those without administration of thermomineral water at 8 and 12 weeks after lower thoracic spinal cord compression. At 12 weeks after injury, sprouting of catecholaminergic axons was better in mice that drank thermomineral water than in those without administration of thermomineral water, but there was no difference in glial reaction to injury between mice with and without administration of thermomineral water. These findings suggest that thermomineral water can promote the nerve regeneration but cannot reduce glial scar formation in a mouse model of spinal cord injury.

Key words: astrocyte scar, catecholaminergic innervations, lithium, magnesium, thermomineral water, locomotor recovery, microglia, neuroprotection, magnesium, spinal cord injury, nerve regeneration