The present study aimed to determine the effects of
musk ketone on nerve recovery in rats after
spinal cord injury. A total of 105 SD female rats were used to establish the rat with dorsal
spinal cord injury model (modified Allen's method). The rats weighed from 200 to 250 g and were provided by the Experimental Animal Center of Chongqing Medical University. They were randomly divided into five treatment groups: saline (NS group),
methylprednisolone (MP group), and
musk ketone groups (MO1, MO2, and MO3 groups). The Swash plate test and BBB behavioral score were used to determine neurological function recovery after
spinal cord injury.
Hematoxylin-
eosin (HE) staining was used to detect general structural changes in spinal cord tissue. The
enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay was used for the determination of
interleukin 10 (IL-10) in spinal cord tissue. We found that compared with the NS control group, critical angle, BBB score and
IL-10 levels in rat spinal cord tissue significantly increased in the MP group and MO groups 7 and 14 days after the operation. HE staining showed that in the NS group, there was
hemorrhage,
edema,
necrosis, axonal
demyelination, inflammatory cell infiltration and glial cell response in spinal cord tissue. After 7 days, spinal cord
edema and
inflammation were reduced and neuronal degeneration and
necrosis were not evident in the MP and MO groups. We conclude that
musk ketone can reduce secondary damage after
spinal cord injury and promote nerve recovery in rats.