Protective effect and mechanism of probucol in the treatment of spinal cord injury

Abstract

ABSTRACT.To investigate the effects of probucol on the treatment of spinal cord injury in rat, 80 rats were randomly divided into two groups of 40: a group treated with probucol and a control group. Allen's method was used to establish a rat model of spinal cord injury. After establishment, probucol (500 mg·kg -1 ·day -1 ) was intraperitoneally injected into the treatment group rats for 1 week, while the same amount of saline was used to treat the control group. On days 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28 after treatment, the function of rats' spinal cord was evaluated according to the Bresnahan locomotor rating scale. Serum protein and mRNA levels of the cytokines [interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interleukin (IL)-17] were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and quantitative polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Protein levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-17, and the downstream markers signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)-1 and STAT-3 were measured using western blot. In addition, the oxidative stress-related parameters, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA), were also measured. It was found that compared to control group, rats from the treatment group had significantly lower levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-17 (P < 0.05) on days 1 and 7, as well as lower MDA levels and higher SOD activity on days 7, 21, and 28 (P < 0.05). In summary, probucol improved the recovery of locomotion function after spinal cord injury in rats through downregulation of inflammation and upregulation of anti-oxidative activity.