Open AccessTherapeutic time window for methylprednisolone in spinal cord injured rat
Author(s) -
Doe Hyun Yoon,
Young Soo Kim,
Wise Young
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
yonsei medical journal/yonsei medical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.702
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1976-2437
pISSN - 0513-5796
DOI - 10.3349/ymj.1999.40.4.313
Subject(s) - methylprednisolone , medicine , spinal cord , lesion , spinal cord injury , anesthesia , neuroprotection , central nervous system disease , bolus (digestion) , cord , surgery , psychiatry
Recent clinical trials have reported that methylprednisolone sodium succinate administered within 8 hours improves neurological recovery in human spinal cord injury (SCI). Methylprednisolone, however, was ineffective and possibly even deleterious when given more than 8 hours after injury. This finding suggests that a therapeutic time window exists in spinal cord injury. In order to determine the doses, durations and timing of methylprednisolone treatment for optimal neuroprotection, a single or two bolus dose of methylprednisolone (30 mg/kg) was administered at 10, 30, 120, 150 and 240 min. after three graded spinal cord injury. The primary outcome measure was 24-hour spinal cord lesion volumes estimated from spinal cord Na+ and K+ shifts. A single 30 mg/kg dose of methylprednisolone at 10 min. after injury significantly reduced 24-hour lesion volumes in injured rat spinal cords. However, any other methylprednisolone treatment starting 30 min. or more after injury had no effect on 24-hour lesion volumes compared to the vehicle control group. Moreover, delayed treatment increased lesion volumes in some cases. These results suggest that the NYU SCI model has a very short therapeutic window.