title: Methylprednisolone and interleukin-10 reduce gray matter damage in the contused Fischer rat thoracic spinal cord but do not improve functional outcome.
abstract: The effects of two antiinflammatory and neuroprotective agents, methylprednisolone (MP) and interleukin-10 (IL-10), singly and in combination on tissue damage, axonal preservation and functional recovery were studied in the contused adult Fischer rat thoracic spinal cord 12 weeks after injury. MP (30 mg/kg at 5 min, and 2 and 4 h after injury) was administered intravenously and IL-10 (15 or 30 microg/kg at 30 min after injury), intraperitoneally. MP, IL-10, or the combination significantly reduced the volume of damaged tissue (including cavities) compared to control animals. The loss of spinal tissue (cavities) was reduced after treatment with MP alone or combined with IL-10, but not with IL-10 alone. The reduction in tissue damage was confined to spinal gray matter; at the level of the lesion epicenter, the thickness of the lateral white matter columns was similar in all groups. Retrograde tracing using fast blue revealed that the number of spared propriospinal and supraspinal projections was similar in all groups at 12 weeks after the contusion. The open-field BBB-test showed no significant difference in hindlimb locomotion between groups. Our results demonstrate that all tested antiinflammatory treatments significantly increase the volume of spared spinal gray matter 3 months after a moderate contusion of the Fischer rat thoracic spinal cord, but none of the treatments improved axonal preservation or functional recovery.
authors.affiliation: The Chambers Family Laboratory of Electron Microscopy, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Miami, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Toshihiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takami
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oudega
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Bethea
authors.forename: Patrick M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kleitman
authors.forename: Mary Bartlett
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Bunge
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006614:Hindlimb; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009068:Movement; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000187:drug effects*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D016753:Interleukin-10; D008775:Methylprednisolone