title: Thalidomide fails to be therapeutic following contusive spinal cord injury in rats.
abstract: Mechanical damage to the spinal cord (SC) generates self-destructive processes that contribute to post-traumatic neurodegeneration. Because thalidomide apparently counteracts these effects its use clinically has been proposed enthusiastically. Nonetheless, we tested its action as a neuroprotectant in a clinically relevant model of SC injury in rats. We administered thalidomide intraperitoneally to rats subjected to thoracic SC contusion as single or repeated doses within the first 24 h after injury. Edema, neutrophil infiltration, and cord tissue preservation/destruction were assessed in the SC 24 h after injury and motor function for 7 weeks. Rats treated with thalidomide showed significant increase in SC water compared with naive rats, but not vehicle-treated rats; their neutrophil infiltration and amount of spared/destroyed cord tissue was not different from vehicle-treated rats; and in no case was motor performance improved after thalidomide. In conclusion, thalidomide failed here to be therapeutic, discouraging its use clinically for SC trauma.
authors.affiliation: Research Unit for Neurological Diseases, Medical Center Century XXI, Mexican Social Security Institute, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Horacio J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Reyes-Alva
authors.forename: Rebecca E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Franco-Bourland
authors.forename: Angelina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martínez-Cruz
authors.forename: Israel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grijalva
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fuchs
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Madrazo
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Guízar-Sahagún
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004487:Edema / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008124:Locomotion / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013792:Thalidomide / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D013792:Thalidomide