Transplantation of porous tubes following spinal cord transection improves hindlimb function in the rat

• Published in: Spinal cord Vol. 46; no. 1; pp. 58 - 64
• Main Authors: Reynolds, L F, Bren, M C, Wilson, B C, Gibson, G D, Shoichet, M S, Murphy, R J L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.01.2008; Nature Publishing; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Anatomy; Animals; Biocompatible Materials - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - analysis; Biomarkers - metabolism; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cerebrospinal fluid. Meninges. Spinal cord; Electron Transport Complex IV - analysis; Electron Transport Complex IV - metabolism; Energy Metabolism - physiology; Female; Gait Disorders, Neurologic - pathology; Gait Disorders, Neurologic - physiopathology; Gait Disorders, Neurologic - surgery; Hindlimb - innervation; Hindlimb - physiopathology; Human Physiology; Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate - therapeutic use; Injuries of the nervous system and the skull. Diseases due to physical agents; Locomotion - physiology; Medical sciences; Muscle, Skeletal - innervation; Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism; Muscle, Skeletal - physiopathology; Muscular Atrophy - physiopathology; Muscular Atrophy - prevention & control; Muscular Atrophy - surgery; Nerve Regeneration; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurochemistry; Neurology; Neuropsychology; Neurosciences; original-article; Paraplegia - pathology; Paraplegia - physiopathology; Paraplegia - surgery; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Recovery of Function - physiology; Spinal Cord - pathology; Spinal Cord - physiopathology; Spinal Cord - surgery; Spinal Cord Injuries - pathology; Spinal Cord Injuries - physiopathology; Spinal Cord Injuries - surgery; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Treatment Outcome; spinal cord injury; oxidase; cytochrome; locomotor function; transplantation; Hindlimb; Spinal cord; Nervous system diseases; Vertebral canal; Rat; Enzyme; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Cytochrome-c oxidase; Transplantation; cytochrome c oxidase; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Animal; Spinal cord trauma; Central nervous system disease; Oxidoreductases; Spinal cord disease
• ISSN: 1362-4393; 1476-5624
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.sc.3102063

Study Design: Experimental. Objective: To determine the effects of a porous tube transplant in spinal cord transected rats. Setting: Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada. Methods: Female rats were randomly assigned to three experimental groups: control (Con, n =8), spinal cord transected (Tx, n =5) and spinal cord transected with transplant (TxTp, n =7). The rats in the TxTp and Tx groups received a complete spinal cord transection at the T10 level and the TxTp group immediately received a porous tube transplant. Results: Locomotor activity rated on the Basso, Beattie, Bresnahan scale improved significantly in the TxTp animals over the 4 weeks such that final scores were 21, 1.4 and 7.1 for the Con, Tx and TxTp groups, respectively. As expected, the muscle to body mass ratios of the hindlimb skeletal muscles of the Tx group were decreased (soleus 35%, plantaris 29% and gastrocnemius 29%) and this was also observed in the TxTp group (soleus 33%, plantaris 23% and gastrocnemius 30%). Cytochrome c oxidase (CYTOX) activity in the plantaris was decreased by Tx but maintained in the TxTp group (Con=82.2, Tx=44.8 and TxTp=72.8 U/min/g). Conclusion: Four weeks after the spinal cord transection, plantaris CYTOX activity and locomotor function improved with porous tube implantation. Sponsorship: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.