Air gun impactor--a novel model of graded white matter spinal cord injury in rodents.
Understanding mechanisms of spinal cord injury and repair requires a reliable experimental model. We have developed a new device that produces a partial damage of spinal cord white matter by means of a precisely adjusted stream of air applied under high pressure. This procedure is less invasive than standard contusion or compression models and does not require surgical removal of vertebral bones. We investigated the effects of spinal cord injury made with our device in 29 adult rats, applying different experimental parameters. The rats were divided into three groups in respect to the applied force of the blast wave. Functional outcome and histopathological effects of the injury were analyzed during 12-week follow-up. The lesions were also examined by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. The weakest stimulus produced transient hindlimb paresis with no cyst visible in spinal cord MRI scans, whereas the strongest was associated with permanent neurological deficit accompanied by pathological changes resembling posttraumatic syringomyelia. Obtained data revealed that our apparatus provided a spinal cord injury animal model with structural changes very similar to that present in patients after moderate spinal cord trauma.
Department of Physiology, Center of Excellence for Research and Teaching of Matrix Biology and Nanotechnology, Network of CoE BioMedTech Silesia; School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, ul. Medyków 4, Katowice, Poland. wmarcol@tlen.pl
Wiesław
W
Marcol
Wojciech
W
Slusarczyk
Marek
M
Gzik
Magdalena
M
Larysz-Brysz
Michał
M
Bobrowski
Beata
B
Grynkiewicz-Bylina
Paulina
P
Rosicka
Katarzyna
K
Kalita
Władysław
W
Węglarz
Jarosław J
JJ
Barski
Katarzyna
K
Kotulska
Krzysztof
K
Labuzek
Joanna
J
Lewin-Kowalik
D000399:Air Pressure; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*