Spinal cord
reperfusion injury as a secondary damage after primary
spinal cord injury is an important factor causing nerve cell damage. In this study, we aim to investigate the effects and mechanisms of
tanshinone (TAE) in the rabbit spinal cord during
ischemia-reperfusion. New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups:
sham-operated group (5 rabbits),
ischemia-reperfusion group (0.9% TAE was administered intraperitoneally 30 min before
ischemia, and 4 groups of 5 rabbits each according to different time periods of reperfusion: group A reperfused for 0.5 h, group B reperfused for 2 h, group C reperfused for 8 h, and group D reperfused for 24 h), and TAE group (an
ischemia-reperfused for 24 h). Group A was reperfused for 0.5 h, group B for 2 h, group C for 8 h, group D for 24 h, and group TAE (TAE was applied 30 min before
ischemia reperfusion, grouped as
ischemia-reperfusion group). The expression of JNK (c-Jun NH2-terminal Kinase) and phosphorylation-JNK (p-JNK) in spinal cord tissues of each group were detected by Western blot. Light and electron microscopy showed that early apoptosis started in group B in the
ischemia-reperfusion group, while early apoptosis appeared only in group D in the
tanshinone intervention group. Western blot showed that p-JNK expression started in group B in the
ischemia-reperfusion group and gradually increased with the prolongation of
ischemia time, while p-JNK expression only increased in group D in the
tanshinone intervention group. In the
tanshinone intervention group, p-JNK was activated only in group D and its activity was less than that in the
ischemia-reperfusion group; the
protein expression of JNK did not change significantly in both groups.
Spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion can cause
spinal cord injury by activating the signaling molecule JNK (MRPKs family), and early
tanshinone intervention can partially inhibit this injury. Our finding provides a new idea and theoretical basis for clinical treatment of
spinal cord ischemia-
reperfusion injury.