title: Protective effect of vitamin E on spinal cord injury by compression and concurrent lipid peroxidation.
abstract: Studies were made on the influence of vitamin E on the effects of compression injury of the spinal cord associated with ischemia in rats. The motor disturbance induced by spinal cord injury was greatly reduced by vitamin E supplementation. After injury, the spinal cord evoked potentials showed greater recovery of both amplitude and latency in the vitamin E-supplemented group than in the control group. Spinal cord blood flow was promptly restored and remained normal after injury in the vitamin E-supplemented group, but was significantly decreased from 3 h after injury in the control group. Thiobarbituric acid (TBA)--reactive substances in the spinal cord was immediately increased by compression injury in both groups, and after injury it persisted at a high value for 24 h in the control group, but decreased within 1 h in the vitamin E-supplemented group. Pathological examination of the spinal cord showed less damage, such as bleeding and edema, in the vitamin E-supplemented group than in the control group. Vitamin E may have protective effects on the spinal cord by inhibiting damage induced by lipid peroxidation and/or by sustaining the blood flow by maintaining the normal metabolism of arachidonic acid.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Tokushima University, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iwasa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ikata
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukuzawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012016:Reference Values; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D014810:Vitamin E