The Neuroprotective Effects of Reg‐2 Following Spinal Cord Transection Injury

• Published in: Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007) N.J. : 2007), 2011-01, Vol.294 (1), p.24-45
• Main Authors: Fang, Marong, Wang, Jing, Huang, Jian‐Ying, Ling, Shu‐Cai, Rudd, john A., Hu, Zhi‐Ying, Yew, David T., Han, Shu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antigens, Neoplasm - administration & dosage; Antigens, Neoplasm - therapeutic use; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins - administration & dosage; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins - therapeutic use; axonal growth; Axons - physiology; Biomarkers, Tumor - administration & dosage; Biomarkers, Tumor - therapeutic use; Cell Death - physiology; Cervical Vertebrae; Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor - administration & dosage; Disease Models, Animal; Female; functional recovery; Injections, Spinal; Lectins, C-Type - administration & dosage; Lectins, C-Type - therapeutic use; Nerve Regeneration - physiology; Neural Inhibition - physiology; Neuroprotective Agents - administration & dosage; Neuroprotective Agents - therapeutic use; neuroprotective effects; Pancreatitis-Associated Proteins; Random Allocation; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Recovery of Function - physiology; Reg‐2; Spinal Cord Injuries - metabolism; Spinal Cord Injuries - physiopathology; Spinal Cord Injuries - therapy; spinal cord injury; Thoracic Vertebrae - injuries; white matter sparing
• ISSN: 1932-8486; 1932-8494; 1932-8494
• DOI: 10.1002/ar.21281

This study was designed to elucidate the potential neuroprotective effects of Reg‐2 (regeneration gene protein 2) in a rodent model of spinal cord transection injury at the ninth thoracic level. Reg‐2 at 100 and 500 μg, recombinant rat ciliary neurotrophic factor, or vehicle were delivered intrathecally using Alzet miniosmotic pumps. We found that Reg‐2 treatment significantly reduced neuronal death in the spinal cord. There was also an attenuation of inflammation at the injury site and an increase in white matter sparing and retained myelination. Retrograde tracing revealed that Reg‐2 protected axons of long descending pathways at 6 weeks post‐SCI, and the number of FluoroGold‐labeled neurons in spinal and supraspinal regions was also significantly increased. Immunofluorescent staining confirmed that the spared white matter contained neurofilament‐positive axons. Moreover, behavioral improvements were revealed by Basso Beattie Bresnahan locomotor rating scores and grid‐walk analysis. These results suggest that Reg‐2 might promote functional recovery by increasing axonal growth, inhibiting neuronal apoptosis, and attenuating spinal cord secondary injury after SCI. Anat Rec, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.