Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic properties of nAG protein during the recovery following acute spinal cord injuries in the rat.
Study Design: An experimental study.
Place and Duration of Study: King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from September 2014 to September 2015.
Methodology: Eight rats were studied (4 control rats and 4 experimental rats; and hence 50% were controls and 50% were experimental). All rats were subjected to an acute spinal cord injury using the aneurysmal clip injury model. Immediately after the injury, a single intra-dural injection of either normal saline (in the control group) or the nAG protein (in the experimental group) was done. Assessment of both groups was done over a 6-week period with regard to weight maintenance, motor recovery scores, MRI and histopathology of the injury site.
Results: Weight maintenance was seen in the experimental and not in the control rats. Starting at 3 weeks after injury, the motor recovery was significantly (p<0.05) better in the experimental group. MRI assessment at 6 weeks showed better maintenance of cord continuity and less fluid accumulation at the injury site in the nAG-treated group. Just proximal to the injury site, there was less gliosis in the experimental group compared to the control group. At the crush injury site, there was less tissue architecture distortion, less vacuole formation, and less granulation tissue formation in the experimental group.
Conclusion: The local injection nAG protein enhances neuro-restoration, reduces gliosis, and reduces vacuole/granulation tissue formation following acute spinal cord crush injury in the rat aneurysmal clip animal model.