title: Neuroprotective effect of bone marrow stromal cell combination with atorvastatin in rat model of spinal cord injury.
abstract: The aims of this study was to assessed the ability of a combination treatment of bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC) and atorvastatin in a rat model of spinal cord injury (SCI) as an appropriate substitute for current SCI treatments. In the present study, the female Wistar rats were divided into five groups (n = 20) after SCI by New York University Device: SCI, sham, atorvastatin, graft BMSC and graft BMSC plus atorvastatin. Locomotion was assessed using Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) test and walking test after SCI. In addition, microvessel density (MVD) was calculated by immunohistochemistry after SCI. We also investigate the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression level by western blot after drug treatment. The results showed that BBB scores and walking test were increased in atorvastatin plus BMSC group compared to single atorvastatin and BMSC groups (P < 0.05). In addition, MVD also significantly increased in combination group compared to single treatment group. Compared to sole drug, VEGF and BDNF expression were significantly up-regulated in atorvastatin combination with BMSC group (P < 0.05). These results imply that the combined use of atorvastatin and BMSC treatment may represent a promising strategy for clinically applicable pharmacological therapy for initiation of neuroprotection after SCI.
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital Beijing 100029, China.
authors: Fang
authors: F
authors: Li
authors: China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University Changchun 130033, China.
authors: Dan
authors: D
authors: Fei
authors: China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University Changchun 130033, China.
authors: Libo
authors: L
authors: Sun
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital Beijing 100029, China.
authors: Sixun
authors: S
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital Beijing 100029, China.
authors: Yue
authors: Y
authors: Yuan
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital Beijing 100029, China.
authors: Li
authors: L
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital Beijing 100029, China.
authors: Kuiming
authors: K
authors: Zhao
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital Beijing 100029, China.
authors: Rui
authors: R
authors: Li
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital Beijing 100029, China.
authors: Yanbing
authors: Y
authors: Yu
keywords: Spinal cord injury; atorvastatin; bone marrow stromal cells; neuroprotective