title: Magnesium sulfate treatment decreases caspase-3 activity after experimental spinal cord injury in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Apoptosis has increasingly been considered as an important factor in secondary injury after spinal cord injury (SCI). Manifestation of apoptotic cell death process involves activation of the caspase-3 apoptotic cascade. The aim of the study was to demonstrate the effect of magnesium sulfate on caspase-3 activity and to compare its effectiveness with methylprednisolone after acute SCI.
  
  
  METHODS
  The rats were randomly and blindly allocated into 5 groups of 8 rats each. Spinal cord contusion injury was produced by the weight drop method. The control group consisted of non-injured rats. In the trauma group, no treatment was given, whereas 1 mL saline, 600 mg/kg magnesium sulfate, and 30 mg/kg methylprednisolone sodium succinate (MPSS) were administered in the vehicle and both treatment groups immediately after injury. Twenty-four hours after trauma, spinal cord samples were obtained, and tissue caspase-3 activity levels were examined. A 1-way analysis of variance and the post hoc test were used for statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that caspase-3 activity increased to statistically significantly higher levels in spinal cord after contusion injury than in the control group. Caspase-3 enzyme activity levels were significantly reduced in animals treated either with magnesium sulfate or MPSS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have shown that magnesium sulfate decreases caspase-3 activity in rat spinal cord subjected to contusion injury. Magnesium sulfate may have potential therapeutic benefits by reducing apoptotic tissue damage after SCI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Ankara Ataturk Research and Education Hospital, Ankara 06100, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ihsan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Solaroglu
authors.forename: Erkan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kaptanoglu
authors.forename: Ozerk
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Okutan
authors.forename: Etem
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Beskonakli
authors.forename: Ayhan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Attar
authors.forename: Kamer
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kilinc
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D008278:Magnesium Sulfate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008776:Methylprednisolone Hemisuccinate / Q000494:pharmacology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D008776:Methylprednisolone Hemisuccinate; D008278:Magnesium Sulfate; C505410:Casp3 protein, rat; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases