Effect of puerarin on neural function and histopathological damages after transient spinal cord ischemia in rabbits.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of puerarin on the neural function and the histopathological changes after ischemic spinal cord injury in rabbits.


METHODS
Thirty male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into three groups as follows: puerarin group (n=10) receiving intravenous infusion of 30 mg/kg puerarin for 10 minutes, control group (n=10) receiving intravenous infusion of the same volume of normal saline as puerarin for 10 minutes, and sham operation group (n=10) undergoing only the surgical exposure of the abdominal aorta. Temporary spinal cord ischemia was induced by infrarenal aortic occlusion for 20 minutes and followed by reperfusion. The neural status was scored with the Tarlov criteria at 8, 12, 24 and 48 hours after reperfusion. All the animals were killed at 48 hours after reperfusion and the spinal cords (L5) were removed immediately for histopathological study.


RESULTS
The neural function scores at 8, 12, 24 and 48 hours after reperfusion were higher in the puerarin group and sham operation group than those in the control group (P<0.05). More normal motor neurons in the anterior horn of spinal cord were present in the puerarin group and sham operation group than those in the control group (P<0.01). There was a strong correlation between the final neural function scores and the number of normal motor neurons in the anterior horn of spinal cord (r=0.839, P<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Puerarin can significantly ameliorate the neural function and the histopathological damages after transient spinal cord ischemia in rabbits.
Sang
Han-fei
HF
Department of Pharmacology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710033, China. shf727@fmmu.edu.cn
Mei
Qi-bing
QB
Xu
Li-xian
LX
Wang
Qiang
Q
Cheng
Hong
H
Xiong
Li-ze
LZ
D000818:Animals; D007529:Isoflavones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D011817:Rabbits; D020760:Spinal Cord Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
D007529:Isoflavones; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; C033607:puerarin