Effects Of Zhuifengtougu Capsule On Apoptosis In Spinal Cord Injury Model Rats

Research BackgroundSpinal cord injury(SCI)is a traumatic disease of the central nervous system.The survey results of some provinces and municipalities in 201 1 showed that the incidence of SCI was 23.7-60.6 cases per million people[1].After spinal cord inj ury,limb sensation and movement disorders often occur,which seriously affects the quality of life of patients and brings heavy burden to patients and society.Therefore,it is very important to regulate the apoptotic level of spinal cord neurons caused by spinal cord injury,promote the nerve conduction function of spinal cord segments and relieve clinical symptoms[2-4].Physical therapy and drug therapy are the main non-surgical interventions after SCI.Drugs can relieve clinical symptoms by restoring blood supply of spinal cord and alleviating edema of spinal cord tissue.Among them,wind-chasing and bone-permeating drugs have been widely used in clinic.At the same time,case-control studies have confirmed their efficacy in alleviating clinical symptoms,but the specific molecular mechanism is still unclear.ObjectiveTo explore the specific mechanism of Zhuifengtougu capsule in protecting spinal cord neurons and reducing neuronal inflammation and apoptosis after acute spinal cord injury,and provide a new target for clinical treatment of SCI.MethodsIn this study,45 SPF-grade SD rats were divided into three groups:sham-operated group,spinal cord injury group and treatment group according to their weight from small to large.In the sham-operated group,the lamina of T10 segment was bitten,but the spinal cord under dura mater was not destroyed.In the spinal cord injury group,on the basis of the sham operation group,the T10 segment of the spinal cord was hit by the spinal cord hitter using Allen’s method.PBS solution(20mg/kg)was injected into abdominal cavity after operation.The establishment of model in the treatment group was the same as that in the spinal cord injury group.Zhuifengtougu capsule solution(20mg/kg)was injected into abdominal cavity after operation.Basso,Beattie,Bresnahan locomotor rating scale(BBB score)was performed on the first,third,seventh,fourteenth and twenty-eighth days after the successful establishment of the model to evaluate the motor function of the limbs of rats.The numlber of motor neurons in the anterior horn of spinal cord after neuron staining in each experimental group was observed by optical microscope.Statistical analysis was used to discuss the effect of chasing wind and penetrating bone on the number of neurons in spinal cord.Western blot was used to observe the expression of beta-catenin,LRP-6 and active Caspase-3 in order to verify the mechanism of Zhuifengtougu capsule in protecting spinal cord neurons and regulating the apoptotic level of neurons.Results1.After modeling,2 rats died in the sham operation group,3 in the spinal cord injury group and 2 in the treatment group.2.BBB score in sham-operated group was stable at 21 points.Compared with spinal cord injury group,BBB score on the 7th and 14th day after modeling was 5.93(+0.59)and 10.93(+1.03,respectively.The motor function and behavioral score in treatment group were improved and increased(P<0.05).BBB score on the 28th day after modeling was 12.33(+0.49),significantly higher(P<0.01).3.On the 7th day after modeling,compared with sham-operated group,the number of Nissl bodies in the cytoplasm of the treatment group increased significantly(P<0.05),suggesting that the number of spinal nerve cells recovered significantly.4.Compared with the spinal cord injury group,the expression of beta-catenin and LRP-6 protein in the treatment group increased significantly(P<0.01),while the expression of active Caspase-3 decreased significantly(P<0.01).Conclusion1.When the concentration is 20 mg/kg,it can significantly promote the recovery of limb motor function in spinal cord injury model rats.2.Pursuing wind and penetrating bone can increase the number of spinal cord neurons in rats with spinal cord injury.3.Zhuifengtougu capsule can protect spinal cord neurons by inhibiting apoptosis of injured neurons through beta-catenin signaling pathway.