Dietary therapy to promote neuroprotection in chronic spinal cord injury.
OBJECTIVE
The pathogenesis of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is related to both primary mechanical and secondary biological injury. The authors of this study explored a novel, noninvasive method of promoting neuroprotection in myelopathy by using curcumin to minimize oxidative cellular injury and the capacity of omega-3 fatty acids to support membrane structure and improve neurotransmission.


METHODS
An animal model of CSM was created using a nonresorbable expandable polymer placed in the thoracic epidural space, which induced delayed myelopathy. Animals that underwent placement of the expandable polymer were exposed to either a diet rich in docosahexaenoic acid and curcumin (DHA-Cur) or a standard Western diet (WD). Twenty-seven animals underwent serial gait testing, and spinal cord molecular assessments were performed after the 6-week study period.


RESULTS
At the conclusion of the study period, gait analysis revealed significantly worse function in the WD group than in the DHA-Cur group. Levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), syntaxin-3, and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) were measured in the thoracic region affected by compression and lumbar enlargement. Results showed that BDNF levels in the DHA-Cur group were not significantly different from those in the intact animals but were significantly greater than in the WD group. Significantly higher lumbar enlargement syntaxin-3 in the DHA-Cur animals combined with a reduction in lipid peroxidation (4-HNE) indicated a possible healing effect on the plasma membrane.


CONCLUSIONS
Data in this study demonstrated that DHA-Cur can promote spinal cord neuroprotection and neutralize the clinical and biochemical effects of myelopathy.
Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-6901, USA. lholly@mednet.ucla.edu
Langston T
LT
Holly
Donald
D
Blaskiewicz
Aiguo
A
Wu
Cameron
C
Feng
Zhe
Z
Ying
Fernando
F
Gomez-Pinilla
D000447:Aldehydes / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood; D002908:Chronic Disease; D030024:Curcuma / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D004032:Diet / Q000379:methods; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D050765:Qa-SNARE Proteins / Q000097:blood; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*
D000447:Aldehydes; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D050765:Qa-SNARE Proteins; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; C027576:4-hydroxy-2-nonenal