Postinjury estrogen treatment of chronic spinal cord injury improves locomotor function in rats.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes loss of neurological function and, depending on serverity, may cause paralysis. The only recommended pharmacotherapy for the treatment of SCI is high-dose methylprednisolone, and its use is controversial. We have previously shown that estrogen treatment attenuated cell death, axonal and myelin damage, calpain and caspase activities, and inflammation in acute SCI. The aim of this study was to examine whether posttreatment of SCI with estrogen would improve locomotor function by protecting cells and axons and reducing inflammation during the chronic phase following injury. Moderately severe injury (40 g . cm force) was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats following laminectomy at T10. Three groups of animals were used: sham (laminectomy only), vehicle (dimethyl sulfoxide; DMSO)-treated injury group, and estrogen-treated injury group. Animals were treated with 4 mg/kg estrogen at 15 min and 24 hr postnjury, followed by 2 mg/kg estrogen daily for the next 5 days. After treatment, animals were sacrificed at the end of 6 weeks following injury, and 1-cm segments of spinal cord (lesion, rostral to lesion, and caudal to lesion) were removed for biochemical analyses. Estrogen treatment reduced COX-2 activity, blocked nuclear factor-kappaB translocation, prevented glial reactivity, attenuated neuron death, inhibited activation and activity of calpain and caspase-3, decreased axonal damage, reduced myelin loss in the lesion and penumbra, and improved locomotor function compared with vehicle-treated animals. These findings suggest that estrogen may be useful as a promising therapeutic agent for prevention of damage and improvement of locomotor function in chronic SCI. (c) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Sribnick
Eric A
EA
Department of Neurosciences, Division of Neurology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina.
Samantaray
Supriti
S
Das
Arabinda
A
Smith
Joshua
J
Matzelle
D Denise
DD
Ray
Swapan K
SK
Banik
Naren L
NL
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002154:Calpain / Q000378:metabolism; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003124:Colorimetry / Q000379:methods; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004967:Estrogens / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005420:Flavoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020672:I-kappa B Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D007211:Indoles; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D000072000:NF-KappaB Inhibitor alpha; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism
D004967:Estrogens; D005420:Flavoproteins; D020672:I-kappa B Proteins; D007211:Indoles; D016328:NF-kappa B; C000606206:Nfkbia protein, rat; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; C018588:Luxol Fast Blue MBS; D000072000:NF-KappaB Inhibitor alpha; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D002154:Calpain; D053148:Caspase 3