Protective effects of oral creatine supplementation on spinal cord injury in rats.
METHODS
To evaluate a potential protective effect of increased creatine levels in spinal cord injury (SCI) in an animal model.


OBJECTIVE
Acute SCI initiates a series of cellular and molecular events in the injured tissue leading to further damage in the surrounding area. This secondary damage is partly due to ischemia and a fatal intracellular loss of energy. Phospho-creatine in conjunction with the creatine kinase isoenzyme system acts as a potent intracellular energy buffer. Oral creatine supplementation has been shown to elevate the phospho-creatine content in brain and muscle tissue, leading to neuroprotective effects and increased muscle performance.


METHODS
Zurich, Switzerland.


METHODS
Twenty adult rats were fed for 4 weeks with or without creatine supplemented nutrition before undergoing a moderate spinal cord contusion.


RESULTS
Following an initial complete hindlimb paralysis, rats of both groups substantially recovered within 1 week. However, creatine fed animals scored 2.8 points better than the controls in the BBB open field locomotor score (11.9 and 9.1 points respectively after 1 week; P=0.035, and 13 points compared to 11.4 after 2 weeks). The histological examination 2 weeks after SCI revealed that in all rats a cavity had developed which was comparable in size between the groups. In creatine fed rats, however, a significantly smaller amount of scar tissue surrounding the cavity was found.


CONCLUSIONS
Thus creatine treatment seems to reduce the spread of secondary injury. Our results favour a pretreatment of patients with creatine for neuroprotection in cases of elective intramedullary spinal surgery. Further studies are needed to evaluate the benefit of immediate creatine administration in case of acute spinal cord or brain injury.
Hausmann
O N
ON
Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich and Department of Biology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland.
Fouad
K
K
Wallimann
T
T
Schwab
M E
ME
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D003401:Creatine / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000032:analysis; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000737:chemistry; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D003401:Creatine