Effect of methylprednisolone on the activities of caspase-3, -6, -8 and -9 in rabbits with acute spinal cord injury

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of methylprednisolone (MP) on the activities of caspase-3, -6, -8 and -9 in rabbits with acute spinal cord injury (ASCI) and to explore the mechanism underlying the antiapoptotic effect of MP on ASCI. Modified Allen's method was employed to establish the ASCI animal model. The animals were randomly divided into a sham (S; n=12), ASCI (C; n=36) and MP group (T; n=36). At 8, 24 and 72 h and 7, 14 and 28 days after ASCI, the animals were sacrificed and the spinal cord was collected. The absorbance (A) was measured with a microplate reader and the activities of caspase-3, -6, -8 and -9 were calculated followed by comparisons among the groups. In the S group, the activities of the four caspases were low. In the C and T groups, the caspase activities increased at 8 h after injury, peaked at 24 h and remained at a high level 3 days after injury. However, the caspase activities began to decrease at 7 days after injury and were significantly reduced at 14 and 28 days after ASCI. Furthermore, the caspase activities in the T group were markedly lower than those in the C group at 8 and 24 h and 3 and 7 days after surgery (P<0.05), but significant differences were not observed at 14 and 28 days after injury (P>0.05). In conclusion, MP exerted an antiapoptotic effect via inhibition of the activities of caspase-3, -6, -8 and -9 in an animal model of ASCI.