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Rapamycin Plays a Neuroprotective Effect after Spinal Cord Injury via Anti‐Inflammatory Effects
Author(s) -
Song Yu,
Xue Hui,
Liu Tingting,
Liu Jiamei,
Chen Dong
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of biochemical and molecular toxicology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.526
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1099-0461
pISSN - 1095-6670
DOI - 10.1002/jbt.21603
Subject(s) - neuroprotection , tunel assay , microglia , spinal cord injury , spinal cord , terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase , apoptosis , pharmacology , myeloperoxidase , blot , sirolimus , medicine , inflammation , chemistry , immunohistochemistry , immunology , neuroscience , biology , biochemistry , gene
Whether rapamycin has neuroprotective effects in spinal cord injury remains controversial. The present study shows that rapamycin protects neurons from death after spinal cord injury by inhibiting the secondary inflammatory response. The effects of rapamycin were tested using a myeloperoxidase assay, Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. The experimental results showed that after spinal cord injury, rapamycin reduced the numbers of activated microglia and neutrophils in the damage zone, lowered the expression levels of TNF‐α and IL‐1β, reduced the apoptotic cells, and increased the survival of neurons. The above data proved that rapamycin diminishes inflammatory cell activation and proliferation, downregulates the expression of inflammatory factors, reduces the microenvironmental damage effects on neurons in the acute injury phase, and thus promotes the survival of neurons. Therefore, we believe that rapamycin has neuroprotective effects in spinal cord injury.