PMID- 12781049
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20030710
LR  - 20131121
IS  - 0366-6999 (Print)
IS  - 0366-6999 (Linking)
VI  - 116
IP  - 3
DP  - 2003 Mar
TI  - Combined therapy of methylprednisolone and brain-derived neurotrophic factor 
      promotes axonal regeneration and functional recovery after spinal cord injury in 
      rats.
PG  - 414-8
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of combination therapy with 
      methylprednisolone (MP) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on axonal 
      remyelination and functional recovery after spinal cord injury in rats. METHODS: 
      Forty-five rats were randomly divided into three groups: Group A received MP and 
      BDNF; group B received MP and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF); and group C received CSF 
      only. Contusion injury to adult rat spinal cord was produced at the T(10) 
      vertebra level followed by immediate intravenous MP or CSF, and was thereafter 
      infused intrathecally with BDNF or CSF for 6 weeks. Axonal remyelination and 
      functional recovery was observed using RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and open 
      field locomotion. RESULTS: An increase of 28.4% +/- 2.3% in the expression of 
      proteolipid protein (PLP) gene, an endogenous indicator of axonal remyelination, 
      was demonstrated in group A 24 hours after injury. Ten weeks later, there were 
      significant decreases in hematogenous inflammatory cellular infiltration in 
      groups A and B compared to C (P < 0.05). Concomitantly, a significant amount of 
      axonal remyelination was observed in group A compared to groups B and C (P < 
      0.05). Furthermore, combination therapy using MP and BDNF in group A resulted in 
      stimulation of hindlimb activity as well as improvement in the rate of functional 
      recovery in open field locomotion (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Combined therapy of MP 
      and BDNF can improve functional recovery through mechanisms that include 
      attenuating inflammatory cellular infiltration and enhancing axonal remyelination 
      at the injury site. Such a combination may be an effective approach for treatment 
      of spinal cord injury.
FAU - Li, Lixin
AU  - Li L
AD  - Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical 
      University, Nanjing 210029, China. lilixin2@hotmail.com
FAU - Xu, Qiwu
AU  - Xu Q
FAU - Wu, Youzhang
AU  - Wu Y
FAU - Hu, Weixing
AU  - Hu W
FAU - Gu, Peiyuan
AU  - Gu P
FAU - Fu, Zhen
AU  - Fu Z
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - China
TA  - Chin Med J (Engl)
JT  - Chinese medical journal
JID - 7513795
RN  - 0 (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor)
RN  - 0 (Myelin Proteolipid Protein)
RN  - 0 (RNA, Messenger)
RN  - X4W7ZR7023 (Methylprednisolone)
SB  - IM
MH  - Animals
MH  - Axons/*physiology
MH  - Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/*administration & dosage
MH  - Drug Therapy, Combination
MH  - Female
MH  - Methylprednisolone/*administration & dosage
MH  - Myelin Proteolipid Protein/genetics
MH  - Nerve Regeneration/*drug effects
MH  - RNA, Messenger/analysis
MH  - Rats
MH  - Rats, Sprague-Dawley
MH  - Recovery of Function
MH  - Spinal Cord Injuries/*drug therapy/metabolism/physiopathology
EDAT- 2003/06/05 05:00
MHDA- 2003/07/11 05:00
CRDT- 2003/06/05 05:00
PHST- 2003/06/05 05:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2003/07/11 05:00 [medline]
PHST- 2003/06/05 05:00 [entrez]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Chin Med J (Engl). 2003 Mar;116(3):414-8.