Effects of Ginkgo biloba extract on lipid peroxidation and apoptosis after spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion in rabbits.
OBJECTIVE
To study the effects of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) on lipid peroxidation and apoptosis after spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in rabbits.


METHODS
Spinal cord I/R injury model was established according to the description of Erten et al. A total of 27 New Zealand white rabbits were divided into three groups randomly: a sham group (9 rabbits treated with sham operation but without aortic occlusion), a model group (9 rabbits treated with aortic occlusion and volume-matched saline), and a GBE group (9 rabbits treated with aortic occlusion and Ginaton (100 mg/kg) injected 30 minutes before aortic clamping and at the onset of reperfusion). The neurological outcomes were evaluated at 24 and 48 hours after reperfusion, respectively. The spinal cord malondialdehyde (MDA) level, superoxide dismutase (SOD) were then detected. Neural cell apoptosis was determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl t-ransferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP-fluorescence nick end labeling (TUNEL) method and the expression of bcl-2 and bax were examined histologically in the spinal cord with immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
I/R produced a significant decrease in neurological scoring. The motor scores of the GBE group were significantly higher than those of the model group at 24 and 48 hours after reperfusion (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, GBE ameliorated the down-regulation of SOD and produced a significant reduction of the MDA level (P<0.01). The positive cells for TUNEL in the model group were much more than those of the GBE group (P<0.01). The bcl-2 was up-regulated after I/R, especially in the GBE group (P<0.01). The up-regulation of bax was greatly diminished by GBE (P<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
GBE has protective effects against spinal cord I/R injury, and the mechanism may be that it can scavenge oxygen free radicals and inhibit the apoptosis of neural cells.
Department of Orthopedics, Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710004, China. drfan2140@163.com
Li-Hong
LH
Fan
Kun-Zheng
KZ
Wang
Bin
B
Cheng
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D020441:Ginkgo biloba; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000032:analysis; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011817:Rabbits; D015424:Reperfusion; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D020760:Spinal Cord Ischemia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000032:analysis
D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase