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Tempol reduces injury area in rat model of spinal cord contusion injury through suppression of iNOS and COX-2 expression

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Abstract

The present study focused on the biologic effects of tempol on anti-inflammatory and nitric oxide generation in contusion spinal cord injury (SCI). The animal model of SCI was induced by dropping a 10-g rod (2.0 mm in diameter) at a height of 25 mm. Tempol was injected intraperitoneally a dose of 100 mg/kg at 15 min before SCI. Controls was injected with saline. The contused spinal segments were removed according to time courses, and the expression level of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was analyzed along with the size of irreversibly damaged region. After SCI, the relative amounts of COX-2 and iNOS mRNA were peaked at 8 h after post-injury, and then decreased up to 7 days post-injury, and normal level at 14 days. Expression of COX-2 protein was peaked at 8 h post-injury. With the tempol pre-treatment, the immunoreactivity of COX-2 and nitrotyrosine in paraffin-embedded tissue slices was profoundly decreased. The irreversibly damaged area of the spinal cord was peaked at 3 days after SCI. With tempol pre-treatment, the irreversibly damaged area shows a statistically significant decrease at 3 days after SCI. These evidences indicate that tempol pre-treatment reduces irreversibly damaged area on the contusion SCI in rat. The mechanisms of biologic reactions of tempol might be related to the decreased expressions of COX-2 and iNOS in spinal cord cells, neurons and glia. It is expected that the tempol effect on the SCI is not only antioxidant activity but also anti-inflammatory reaction.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, China

    Hong-Hua Quan & Ming Li

  2. Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, China

    Hong-Hua Quan

  3. Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 700422, Korea

    Ku-Seong Kang & Yoon-Kyung Sohn

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  1. Hong-Hua Quan
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Correspondence to Hong-Hua Quan.

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Quan, HH., Kang, KS., Sohn, YK. et al. Tempol reduces injury area in rat model of spinal cord contusion injury through suppression of iNOS and COX-2 expression. Neurol Sci 34, 1621–1628 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-013-1295-y

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