Methylprednisolone inhibits Nogo-A protein expression after acute spinal cord injury

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.05.003

Abstract

Abstract:

Oligodendrocyte-produced Nogo-A has been shown to inhibit axonal regeneration. Methylprednisolone plays an effective role in treating spinal cord injury, but the effect of methylprednisolone on Nogo-A in the injured spinal cord remains unknown. The present study established a rat model of acute spinal cord injury by the weight-drop method. Results showed that after injury, the motor behavior ability of rats was reduced and necrotic injury appeared in spinal cord tissues, which was accompanied by increased Nogo-A expression in these tissues. After intravenous injection of high-dose methylprednisolone, although the pathology of spinal cord tissue remained unchanged, Nogo-A expression was reduced, but the level was still higher than normal. These findings implicate that methylprednisolone could inhibit Nogo-A expression, which could be a mechanism by which early high dose methylprednisolone infusion helps preserve spinal cord function after spinal cord injury.

Key words: neural regeneration, spinal cord injury, methylprednisolone, Nogo-A, oligodendrocyte, spinal cord pathology, myelonecrosis, weight-drop contusion, photographs-containing paper, neuroregeneration

Zhaozong Fu, Hai Lu, Jianming Jiang, Hui Jiang, Zhaofei Zhang. Methylprednisolone inhibits Nogo-A protein expression after acute spinal cord injury[J]. Neural Regeneration Research, 2013, 8(5): 404-409.

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