title: Synchrotron FTIR microspectroscopic analysis of the effects of anti-inflammatory therapeutics on wound healing in laminectomized rats.
abstract: Peridural scarring, or the excessive formation of scar tissue following spinal surgery, is one of the important contributing factors that result in persistent pain and disability in many individuals who have undergone elective back surgery. Treatment with anti-inflammatory agents following surgery may reduce oxidative stress and scarring, leading to a reduction in post-operative pain. We are using a surgical rat model to test the hypothesis that post-surgical inflammation and oxidative stress following laminectomy can be reduced by systemic administration of L: -2-oxo-thiazolidine-4-carboxylate (OTC) and quercetin. OTC is a cysteine precursor required for the synthesis of glutathione, an important antioxidant. Quercetin is a flavonoid with anti-oxidant properties, found in fruits and vegetables. Synchrotron FTIR microspectroscopy data has been collected on OTC, quercetin and saline (control)-treated post-surgery animals, sacrificed at 3 and 21 days (n = 6 per age and treatment group). This paper presents preliminary IR results, supported by immunocytochemistry, on the heterogeneous distribution of biological components present in the healing tissue. The data collected on animals sacrificed at 3 and 21 days post-surgery will be combined in the future with data from animals sacrificed 63 days after surgery (representing a third time point) to evaluate the efficacy of the different treatments. Initial statistical analysis of ED1 immunohistochemistry results indicates a decrease in the number of activated macrophages 21 days post-surgery in the OTC-treated animals compared with the saline controls.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, 360 Parker Building, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wiens
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rak
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Suraj
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abraham
authors.forename: Bernhard H J
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Juurlink
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Kulyk
authors.forename: Kathleen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Gough
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007796:Laminectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods; D009187:Myelitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared / Q000379:methods*; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D017356:Synchrotrons; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents