title: Effects of the combination of methylprednisolone with aminoguanidine on functional recovery in rats following spinal cord injury.
abstract: Methylprednisolone (MP), a synthetic glucocorticoid, has been widely used as a standard therapeutic agent for the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI). The combination of MP and other pharmacological agents aimed at enhancing functional recovery is desirable as the beneficial effects of MP are controversial, due to a variety of side-effects. Aminoguanidine (AG), a small water-soluble compound, is potentially useful in the treatment of acute SCI. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of MP and AG, administered in combination, following SCI in adult rats. In rats with SCI, the combination therapy group treated with AG (75 mg/kg) and MP (0.75 mg/kg) exhibited significantly reduced levels of cytokine expression and cell apoptosis compared with those in the control group. In addition, the data demonstrated that the combination therapy significantly enhanced the recovery of limb function. These data clearly suggest that treatment with a combination of MP and AG represents a promising strategy of clinically applicable pharmacological therapy for the rapid initiation of neuroprotection following SCI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130033, P.R. China ; Department of Neurology, Jilin Province People's Hospital, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zongshu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130033, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: DU
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Jilin Province People's Hospital, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hongxia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130033, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130033, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jinting
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130033, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jiaoqi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130033, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hongyu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130033, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhongxin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
keywords: aminoguanidine; functional recovery; methylprednisolone; spinal cord injury