title: The effect of melatonin on spinal cord after ischemia in rats.
abstract: METHODS
  Experimental animal model to assess ischemic spinal cord injury (SCI) following occlusion of the thoraco-abdominal aorta.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In the present study, we aimed to investigate the role of melatonin on SCI induced by ischemia and following reperfusion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Animal Research Laboratory, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated oxidative damage and caspase-3 activity. In total, 32 adult Wistar albino rats were divided into four groups: Group 1, control (n=8); Group 2 (n=8), those subjected to ischemia/reperfusion (IR) by clamping the thoraco-abdominal aorta; Group 3 (n=8), melatonin (50 mg kg(-1)) treated; and Group 4 (n=8), melatonin (50 mg kg(-1)) followed by ischemia. All animals were kept alive for 48 h, and then spinal cord samples were removed. We assayed oxidative damage by measuring malondialdehyde (MDA), apoptosis by measuring activated caspase-3 (using immunoblots) and intrinsic antioxidative capacity by measuring reduced glutathione (GSH) levels in the spinal cord.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results indicated a significant decrease in activity of caspase-3 in SCI animals after treatment with melatonin, as it significantly decreased the formation of MDA and decelerated the loss of GSH.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggested that melatonin could be an effective neuroprotective agent for treatment of SCI.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Department of Molecular Biology, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aydemir
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Department of Molecular Biology, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dogan
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kocak
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sciences, Department of Molecular Biology, Harran University, Sanlıurfa, Turkey.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dilsiz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D008550:Melatonin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D015424:Reperfusion; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D020760:Spinal Cord Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D053148:Caspase 3; D005978:Glutathione; D008550:Melatonin