title: Effects of estrogen on functional and neurological recovery after spinal cord injury: An experimental study with rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the functional and histological effects of estrogen as a neuroprotective agent after a standard experimentally induced spinal cord lesion.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this experimental study, 20 male Wistar rats were divided into two groups: one group with rats undergoing spinal cord injury (SCI) at T10 and receiving estrogen therapy with 17-beta estradiol (4mg/kg) immediately following the injury and after the placement of skin sutures and a control group with rats only subjected to SCI. A moderate standard experimentally induced SCI was produced using a computerized device that dropped a weight on the rat's spine from a height of 12.5 mm. Functional recovery was verified with the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan scale on the 2nd, 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, 35th and 42nd days after injury and by quantifying the motor-evoked potential on the 42nd day after injury. Histopathological evaluation of the SCI area was performed after euthanasia on the 42nd day.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The experimental group showed a significantly greater functional improvement from the 28th to the 42nd day of observation compared to the control group. The experimental group showed statistically significant improvements in the motor-evoked potential compared with the control group. The results of pathological histomorphometry evaluations showed a better neurological recovery in the experimental group, with respect to the proportion and diameter of the quantified nerve fibers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Estrogen administration provided benefits in neurological and functional motor recovery in rats with SCI beginning at the 28th day after injury.
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo/SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Olavo Biraghi
authors.initials: OB
authors.lastname: Letaif
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo/SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alexandre Fogaça
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Cristante
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo/SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tarcísio Eloy Pessoa de
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Barros Filho
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo/SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gustavo Bispo dos
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo/SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ivan Dias da
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo/SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Raphael Martus
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Marcon
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D004967:Estrogens / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000187:drug effects*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents