A Mouse Model of Acute Ischemic Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

Mice models of spinal cord injury (SCI) should improve our knowledge of the mechanisms of injury and repair of the nervous tissue. They represent a powerful tool for the development of therapeutic strategies in the fields of pharmacological, cellular, and genetic approaches of neurotrauma. We demonstrate here that the photochemical graded ischemic spinal cord injury model, described in rats, can be successfully adapted in mice, in a reliable and reproducible manner. Following the intravenous injection of Rose Bengal, the translucent dorsal surface of the T9 vertebral laminae of C57BL/6 female mice was irradiated with a 560-nm wavelength-light (3-8 min depending on the experimental group). Animals were sacrificed at 1 day or 7 days after injury. Functional tests were performed daily for motor, sensory, autonomic, and reflex responses. Lesion histopathology was assessed for lesion length, percentage of residual white matter, and astrocytic reactivity. Experimental groups demonstrated a functional deficit, which was correlated to the increase of the irradiation time and, therefore, to the severity of the injury. Histopathological and immunocytochemical data were reliable morphological measurements characterizing the degree of injury, which were strongly correlated to the severity of the functional impairment. Despite differences in the mechanism of injury, the wound healing response described in other traumatic SCI mice models was confirmed (no cavitation and, conversely, the formation of a dense connective tissue matrix). In this context, the precise understanding of the mechanisms of healing response after SCI in mice and of neurochemical kinetics appear to be crucial in the development of therapeutic strategies of CNS repair. Thus, the possible use of an increasing collection of transgenic mice offers a new dimension for experimental research in this area. The ischemic photochemical model of SCI in mice represents a relevant model that can play a key role in this new era of neurotrauma research.

Small mammal MRI imaging in spinal cord injury: A novel practical technique for using a 1.5T MRI

“…Bright injured areas (at arrow tip) are clearly visible. tists have been contributing to this knowledge (Dohrmann, 1972;Behrmann et al, 1994;Young et al, 1994;Tuma et al, 1997;Kuhn and Wrathall, 1998;Spera et al, 1998Spera et al, , 2000Zhang et al, 1998;Bilgen and Narayana, 2001;Legos et al, 2001;Sumas et al, 2001;Gaviria et al, 2002;Kipnis et al, 2002;Merola et al, 2002;Rabchevsky et al, 2002;Seki et al, 2002;Stokes and Jakeman, 2002;Hauben et al, 2003;Popovich and Jones, 2003;Scheff et al, 2003;Ibarra et al, 2004;Kakulas, 2004;Tsai et al, 2004;Yeo et al, 2004;Baker and Hagg, 2005;Kastin and Pan, 2005;Tsai and Tator, 2005;Xiang et al, 2005;Nomura et al, 2006;Levene et al, 2007) but as of yet the understanding of the pathophysiology of SCI is incomplete.…”

Minimum information about animal experiments: supplier is also important

“…Before injury, and during 7 days postinjury, functional tests were carried out daily for motor, sensory, and autonomic responses, as previously described (Gaviria et al, 2002). Motor response was evaluated by three tests: open-field walking and inclined plan for gross motricity and a grid-navigation test for fine motricity.…”

“…**P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001. a small hole in T10 vertebra; the balloon was located at T8 level and inflated (10 ll, 5 min). Before injury, and during 7 days postinjury, functional tests were carried daily for motor, sensory and autonomic responses, as previously described (Gaviria et al, 2002). There was no difference between suppliers in any of the tests in baseline responses before lesion (Figs.…”

Method to perform IV injections on mice using the facial vein

“…In the field of spinal cord injury (SCI) research, mice are increasingly used as experimental animals for their ease of handling, cost effectiveness, and wide variety of strains available (Cummings et al, 2005;Engesser-Cesar et al, 2005;Gaviria et al, 2002Gaviria et al, , 2006Hamer et al, 2002;Inman et al, 2002;Jakeman et al, 2000;Jones et al, 2005;Joshi and Fehlings, 2002a,b;Kastin and Pan, 2005;Kuhn and Wrathall, 1998;Li et al, 2006;Lundbeck, 1994;Ma et al, 2001;Mure et al, 2004;Pan et al, 2003;Seitz et al, 2002Seitz et al, , 2003Seki et al, 2002;Sroga et al, 2003;Stokes and Jakeman, 2002;Sykova and Jendelova, 2005;Wamil et al, 1998;Xu et al, 2005). Especially attractive in mice is the ability to procure "knock-out" mice useful for elucidating the pathophysiology of SCI.…”