Neuroprotective effects of caspase-3 inhibition on functional recovery and tissue sparing after acute spinal cord injury

• Published in: Spine (Philadelphia, Pa. 1976) Vol. 33; no. 21; p. 2269
• Main Authors: Citron, Bruce A, Arnold, Paul M, Haynes, Neal G, Ameenuddin, Syed, Farooque, Mohammed, Santacruz, Karen, Festoff, Barry W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.10.2008
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Animals; Caspase 3 - metabolism; Caspase Inhibitors; Enzyme Activation - drug effects; Female; Motor Neurons - drug effects; Motor Neurons - enzymology; Motor Neurons - pathology; Neuroprotective Agents - pharmacology; Neuroprotective Agents - therapeutic use; Protease Inhibitors - pharmacology; Protease Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Recovery of Function - drug effects; Recovery of Function - physiology; Spinal Cord Injuries - drug therapy; Spinal Cord Injuries - enzymology; Spinal Cord Injuries - pathology

We used gene microarrays and found that caspase-related death genes were upregulated. We tested caspase inhibition and evaluated its effect on the spinal cord after traumatic injury. The logical extension of previous studies was to determine whether downstream CASP genes might also be involved and w...