title: The nitrosteroid NCX 1015, a prednisolone derivative, improves recovery of function in rats after spinal cord injury.
abstract: Glucocorticoids, given at high-doses, improve recovery of function after spinal cord injury (SCI) in animals. However, side effects combined with a limited efficacy in clinical trials have restricted their usefulness for treatment of SCI patients. Recent studies have shown that incorporation of the nitric oxide releasing moiety into the glucocorticoid structure enhances anti-inflammatory properties and reduces side effects. One compound, a derivative of prednisolone (PRE), (NCX 1015, prednisolone 21 [(4'nitrooxymethyl)benzoate]), has interesting pharmacological properties. Therefore, we investigated its effects on apoptosis and recovery of function in rats after SCI. Rats received subcutaneously vehicle, NCX 1015 or PRE (37 micromol/kg, each) 3.5 h after a standardized thoracic lesion. The treatment was continued once a day for 3 days and the effect of both steroids on apoptosis was examined by immunohistochemistry 24 h after the last injection. NCX 1015 but not PRE reduced TUNEL and activated caspase 3 in both white and ventral gray matter as well as tumor necrosis factor immunoreactivity in ventral horn motorneurons, suggesting that NCX 1015 reduces SCI-induced apoptosis. The effect of NCX 1015 on motor function was then examined by a standard locomotion rating scale (BBB) starting at 1 day after injury and continuing up to 14 days. NCX 1015 improved significantly locomotor activity by 4 days after injury, whereas PRE had an effect equivalent to that of vehicle, thus providing a correlation between the antiapoptotic effect of NCX1015 and its ability to improve recovery of function. The data suggest that NCX 1015 might be a novel experimental therapeutic compound for recovery of function in SCI patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Research Building, Room EP04, Box 571464 Washington, DC 20057, USA.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mallei
authors.forename: Sadia A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Aden
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bachis
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brandoli
authors.forename: Ennio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ongini
authors.forename: Italo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mocchetti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors / Q000494:pharmacology; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000187:drug effects*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors; C418962:prednisolone 21-((4'-nitrooxymethyl)benzoate); D011239:Prednisolone