title: A nutrient combination designed to enhance synapse formation and function improves outcome in experimental spinal cord injury.
abstract: Spinal cord injury leads to major neurological impairment for which there is currently no effective treatment. Recent clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of Fortasyn® Connect in Alzheimer's disease. Fortasyn® Connect is a specific multi-nutrient combination containing DHA, EPA, choline, uridine monophosphate, phospholipids, and various vitamins. We examined the effect of Fortasyn® Connect in a rat compression model of spinal cord injury. For 4 or 9 weeks following the injury, rats were fed either a control diet or a diet enriched with low, medium, or high doses of Fortasyn® Connect. The medium-dose Fortasyn® Connect-enriched diet showed significant efficacy in locomotor recovery after 9 weeks of supplementation, along with protection of spinal cord tissue (increased neuronal and oligodendrocyte survival, decreased microglial activation, and preserved axonal integrity). Rats fed the high-dose Fortasyn® Connect-enriched diet for 4 weeks showed a much greater enhancement of locomotor recovery, with a faster onset, than rats fed the medium dose. Bladder function recovered quicker in these rats than in rats fed the control diet. Their spinal cord tissues showed a smaller lesion, reduced neuronal and oligodendrocyte loss, decreased neuroinflammatory response, reduced astrocytosis and levels of inhibitory chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans, and better preservation of serotonergic axons than those of rats fed the control diet. These results suggest that this multi-nutrient preparation has a marked therapeutic potential in spinal cord injury, and raise the possibility that this original approach could be used to support spinal cord injured patients.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma, The Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, 4 Newark Street, Whitechapel, London E1 2AT, UK.
authors.forename: Patrick N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Pallier
authors.affiliation: University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Poddighe
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma, The Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, 4 Newark Street, Whitechapel, London E1 2AT, UK.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zbarsky
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma, The Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, 4 Newark Street, Whitechapel, London E1 2AT, UK.
authors.forename: Milosz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kostusiak
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma, The Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, 4 Newark Street, Whitechapel, London E1 2AT, UK.
authors.forename: Rasall
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Choudhury
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma, The Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, 4 Newark Street, Whitechapel, London E1 2AT, UK.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma, The Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, 4 Newark Street, Whitechapel, London E1 2AT, UK.
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Burguillos
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma, The Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, 4 Newark Street, Whitechapel, London E1 2AT, UK.
authors.forename: Omar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Musbahi
authors.affiliation: Nutricia Research - Nutricia Advanced Medical Nutrition, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Groenendijk
authors.affiliation: Nutricia Research - Nutricia Advanced Medical Nutrition, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Sijben
authors.affiliation: Nutricia Research - Nutricia Advanced Medical Nutrition, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Martijn C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: deWilde
authors.affiliation: University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quartu
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma, The Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, 4 Newark Street, Whitechapel, London E1 2AT, UK.
authors.forename: John V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Priestley
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma, The Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, 4 Newark Street, Whitechapel, London E1 2AT, UK. Electronic address: a.t.michael-titus@qmul.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Adina T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Michael-Titus
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D016923:Cell Death; D002470:Cell Survival; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid; D005260:Female; D005911:Gliosis / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009043:Motor Activity; D009474:Neurons / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D010743:Phospholipids; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: C000609944:Fortasyn Connect; D010743:Phospholipids; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid
keywords: Dietary supplementation; Fortasyn connect; Neuroplasticity; Neuroprotection; Spinal cord injury