title: Decreased GFAP expression and improved functional recovery in contused spinal cord of rats following valproic acid therapy.
abstract: Many studies have illustrated that much of the post-traumatic degeneration of the spinal cord cells is caused by the secondary mechanism. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of the anti-inflammatory property of valproic acid (VPA) on injured spinal cords (SC). The rats with the contused SC received intraperitoneal single injection of VPA (150, 200, 300, 400 or 500 mg/kg) at 2, 6, 12 and 24 h post-injury. Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) test and H-reflex evaluated the functional outcome for 12 weeks. The SC were investigated 3 months post-injury using morphometry and glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) expression. Reduction in cavitation, H/M ratio, BBB scores and GFAP expression in the treatment groups were significantly more than that of the untreated one (P < 0.05). The optimal improvement in the condition of the contused rats was in the ones treated at the acute phase of injury with 300 mg/kg of VPA at 12 h post-injury, they had the highest increase in BBB score and decrease in astrogliosis and axonal loss. We conclude that treating the contused rats with 300 mg/kg of VPA at 12 h post-injury improves the functional outcome and reduces the traumatized SC gliosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Marzieh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Darvishi
authors.forename: Taki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tiraihi
authors.forename: Seyed A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Mesbah-Namin
authors.forename: AliReza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Delshad
authors.forename: Taher
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taheri
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014635:Valproic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D014635:Valproic Acid