title: Functional and structural changes of the urinary bladder following spinal cord injury; treatment with alpha lipoic acid.
abstract: Alpha lipoic acid (LA) was shown to exert neuroprotection in trauma-induced spinal cord injury (SCI), which is frequently associated with urinary bladder complaints in patients with SCI. Accordingly, the protective effects of LA on biochemical and histological changes in bladder as well as functional studies were assessed.
  
  
  
  Wistar albino rats were divided as control, SCI, and LA (50 mg/kg/day, ip) treated SCI groups (SCI+LA). The standard weight-drop (100 g/cm force at T10) method was used to induce a moderately severe SCI. One week after the injury, neurological examination was performed and the rats were decapitated. Bladder samples were taken for histological examination, functional (isolated tissue bath) studies, and for the measurement of biochemical parameters (malondialdehyde, MDA; gluthathione, GSH; nerve growth factor, NGF; caspase-3, luminol and lucigenin chemiluminescences).
  
  
  
  SCI caused a significant (P < 0.001) increase in the detrusor muscle thickness. It increased the contractility responses to carbachol and relaxation responses to papaverine (P < 0.05-0.001). There were also significant alterations in MDA, caspase-3, luminol, and lucigenin chemiluminescences with concomitant decreases in NGF and GSH (P < 0.05). LA treatment reversed histological and functional (contraction and relaxation responses) changes induced by SCI (P < 0.05-0.001), but no significant recovery was observed in the impaired neurological functions.
  
  
  
  These results indicate that LA have a beneficial effect in improving the bladder tonus via its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions following SCI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Arif
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ekiz
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zarife Nigâr
authors.initials: ZN
authors.lastname: Özdemir-Kumral
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Medeniyet University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Erşahin
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, School of Medicine, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Halil
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tuğtepe
authors.affiliation: Vocational School of Health Related Professions, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ayliz Velioğlu
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Öğünç
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Dilek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Akakın
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Demir
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kıran
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, School of Pharmacy, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Derya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Özsavcı
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Haydarpasa Numune Teaching and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Necat
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Biber
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Okan University, Vocational School of Health Services, Kolan International Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Tayfun
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hakan
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Berrak Ç
authors.initials: BÇ
authors.lastname: Yeğen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Göksel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Şener
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida.|Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Malcom Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Gainesville, Florida.
authors.forename: Hale Z
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Toklu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D008063:Thioctic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000294:innervation / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001745:Urinary Bladder Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D008063:Thioctic Acid
keywords: NGF; NSE; S100β; bladder; carbachol; caspase 3; contractility; lipoic acid; papaverinee; relaxation; spinal cord injury; trauma