title: Effect of aminoguanidine on the recovery of rat hindlimb motor function after spinal cord injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effects of aminoguanidine (AG), the inhibitor of inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS), on the recovery of rat hindlimb motor function after spinal cord injury and explore the possible mechanism.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty rat models of spinal cord compression injury were established according to Nystrom's method. AG therapy was administered for 4 times at 1 h before and 8, 24, 36 h after the injury, and 24 h after the completion of the therapy, spectrophotography was performed to measure the content of NO and activity of NOS in the injured spinal cord, followed by flow cytometry for determining the apoptotic rate 48 h later. The evaluation of the hindlimb motor function recovery was conducted by electrophysiological method and by measuring the behavior scores.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AG significantly decreased the NO content (from 2.2714+/-0.4239 micromol/g.pro to 0.8466+/-0.0477 micromol/g.pro, P <0.05) and NOS activity (from 0.3408+/-0.0228 U/mg pro to 0.2702+/-0.0148 U/mg pro, P <0.05) in the injured spinal cord. The apoptotic rats were also reduced (from 7.88% +/-0.79% to 3.10% +/-0.66%, P <0.05). Four weeks after the therapy, the behavior score of the rats improved from 7.1+/-4.5 to 17.3+/-4.7 (P <0.01), and the latency and amplitude of the motor evoked potentials improved from 0 ms to 8.89+/-0.91 ms and from 0 mv to 1.99+/-0.48 mv respectively, showing significant therapeutic effect of AG (P <0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AG can improve motor functions of injured spinal cord in rats, possibly resulting from decreased apoptotic cells of the neurons in the spinal cord in the early stages of the injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Zhujiang Hospital, First Military Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, China. ezhxy@yiyee.com
authors.forename: Xin-yu
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Chu-song
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: An-min
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wei-tao
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000187:drug effects; D006146:Guanidines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000032:analysis; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D006146:Guanidines; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; C004479:pimagedine