title: Neuroprotection and enhanced recovery with hypericum perforatum extract after experimental spinal cord injury in mice.
abstract: Oxidative stress results from an oxidant/antioxidant imbalance, an excess of oxidants, and/or a depletion of antioxidants. A considerable body of recent evidence suggests that oxidative stress and exaggerated production of reactive oxygen species play a major role in several aspects of inflammation. Hypericum perforatum is a medicinal plant species containing many polyphenolic compounds, namely, flavonoids and phenolic acids. Because polyphenolic compounds have high antioxidant potential, in this study, we evaluated the effect of H. perforatum (given at 30 mg . kg (-1)) in an experimental animal model of spinal cord injury, which was induced by the application of vascular clips to the dura via a four-level T5 through T8 laminectomy. The degree of (a) spinal cord inflammation and tissue injury (histological score), (b) nitrotyrosine, (c) poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose), (d) neutrophils infiltration, and (e) the activation of signal transducer and activator transcription 3 was markedly reduced in spinal cord tissue obtained from H. perforatum extract-treated mice. We have also demonstrated that H. perforatum extract significantly ameliorated the recovery of limb function.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento Clinico Sperimentale di Medicina e Farmacologia and, Department of Neuroscience and Vision, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Genovese
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mazzon
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Menegazzi
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Di Paola
authors.forename: Carmelo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Muià
authors.forename: Concetta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Crisafulli
authors.forename: Placido
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bramanti
authors.forename: Hisanori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cuzzocrea
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020902:Hypericum / Q000737:chemistry; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D020556:Neutrophil Infiltration / Q000187:drug effects; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D011064:Poly Adenosine Diphosphate Ribose / Q000378:metabolism; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000187:drug effects*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D014443:Tyrosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C422326:Hypericum extract LI 160; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011064:Poly Adenosine Diphosphate Ribose; C002744:3-nitrotyrosine; D014443:Tyrosine