title: Effect of pollen typhae on inhibiting autophagy in spinal cord injury of rats and its mechanisms.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects and mechanism of pollen typhae on spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  The SCI model was built and animals were randomly divided into three groups according to different concentrations of pollen typhae. Protein, mRNA, and fluorescence expression levels of light-chain-3 (LC-3) and Beclin-1 were determined by western blotting (WB), real-time PCR and immunofluorescence, along as Akt and mammalian target of rapamycin (mROT) by WB. The demyelination area and integrated optical density (IOD) were analyzed by luxol fast blue (LFB) and Nissl staining, respectively; Behavioral assessments were assessed by Basso Beattie Bresnahan (BBB) scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Protein, mRNA, and fluorescence expression levels of LC-3 and Beclin-1 were significantly increased after SCI, while were obviously decreased by administration of pollen typhae, along with protein level of Akt and mROT. The demyelination area was significantly reduced, while IOD and BBB were significantly increased compared with the model group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Autophagic activity increased in damaged neural tissue after SCI, and pollen typhae have certain therapeutic effect on SCI, the higher concentration of pollen typhae, the more effective. Besides, pollen typhae also provided neuroprotective effect and improved locomotor function. The effects may be produced by blockade of Akt/mTOR pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, General Hospital of Jinan Military Command Jinan 250031, China.
authors.forename: Weiguo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, General Hospital of Jinan Military Command Jinan 250031, China.
authors.forename: Zhihong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Jinan 250014, China.
authors.forename: Zhanwang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Spinal Cord Repair, General Hospital of Jinan Military Command Jinan 250031, China.
authors.forename: Qingxi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, General Hospital of Jinan Military Command Jinan 250031, China.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Surgery, General Hospital of Jinan Military Command Jinan 250031, China.
authors.forename: Yaoguang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, General Hospital of Jinan Military Command Jinan 250031, China.
authors.forename: Xuecheng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001343:Autophagy / Q000187:drug effects*; D000071186:Beclin-1; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D015153:Blotting, Western; D019610:Cytoprotection; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D008297:Male; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D000071186:Beclin-1; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; C512829:Becn1 protein, rat; C526109:Anxa3 protein, rat; C546845:mTOR protein, rat
keywords: Akt/mTOR; Beclin-1; LC-3; Spinal cord injury; autophagy; pollen typhae