Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2020, Vol. 15 ›› Issue (3): 482-490.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.266064

Previous Articles     Next Articles

Neurological recovery and antioxidant effects of resveratrol in rats with spinal cord injury: a meta-analysis

Bao-Ping Xu1, 2, Min Yao1, 3, Zhen-Jun Li1, 4, Zi-Rui Tian1, 3, Jie Ye5, Yong-Jun Wang1, 3, Xue-Jun Cui1, 3   

  1. 1 Spine Disease Institute, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
    2 Lu’an Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lu’an, Anhui Province, China
    3 Key Laboratory of Theory and Therapy of Muscles and Bones, Ministry of Education (Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Shanghai, China
    4 Gansu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China
    5 Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
  • Online:2020-03-15 Published:2020-05-26
  • Contact: Xue-Jun Cui, PhD,13917715524@139.com.
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81873317 (to XJC), No. 81704096 (to MY), No. 81603635 (to JY); a grant from the Municipal Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai-TCM Key Project in China, No. 16401970100 (to YJW); a grant from the Shanghai TCM Medical Center of Chronic Disease in China, No. 2017ZZ01010 (to YJW); the National Thirteenth Five-Year Science and Technology Major Special Project for New Drug Innovation and Development in China, No. 2017ZX09304001 (to YJW).

PDF

170

Abstract:

Objective: To critically assess the neurological recovery and antioxidant effects of resveratrol in rat models of spinal cord injury.

Data sources: Using “spinal cord injury”, “resveratrol” and “animal experiment” as the main search terms, all studies on the treatment of spinal cord injury in rats by resveratrol were searched for in PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Science Direct, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, VIP, and SinoMed databases by computer. The search was conducted from their inception date to April 2017. No language restriction was used in the literature search. 

Data selection: The methodological quality of each study was assessed by the initial Stroke Therapy Academic Industry Roundtable recommendations. Two reviewers independently selected studies according to the title, abstract and full text. The risk of bias in the included studies was also evaluated. Meta-analyses were performed with Review Manager 5.3 software. 

Outcome measures: Neurological function was assessed by the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan scale score, inclined plane score and Gale’s motor function score. Molecular-biological analysis of antioxidative effects was conducted to determine superoxide dismutase levels, malondialdehyde levels, nitric oxide synthase activity, nitric oxide levels, xanthine oxidase and glutathione levels in spinal cord tissues. 

Results: The methodological quality of the 12 included studies was poor. The results of meta-analysis showed that compared with the control group, resveratrol significantly increased the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan scale scores after spinal cord injury (n = 300, mean difference (MD) = 3.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) [2.10, 5.59], P < 0.0001). Compared with the control group, superoxide dismutase levels were significantly elevated (n = 138, standardized mean difference (SMD) = 5.22, 95% CI [2.98, 7.45], P < 0.00001), but malondialdehyde levels were significantly diminished (n = 84, SMD = –3.64, 95% CI [–5.84, –1.43], P = 0.001) in the spinal cord of the resveratrol treatment group. 

Conclusions: Resveratrol promoted neurological recovery and exerted antioxidative effects in rat models of spinal cord injury. The limited quality of the included studies reduces the application of this meta-analysis. Therefore, more high-quality studies are needed to provide more rigorous and objective evidence for the pre-clinical treatment of spinal cord injury.

Key words: antioxidation, meta-analysis, neurological recovery, pharmacotherapy, rats, resveratrol, spinal cord injury, systematic review