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This study was performed to investigate the antioxidant effect of beta-Glucan in experimental spinal cord injury (SCI). Injury was produced using weight-drop technique in rats. beta-Glucan was given by intraperitoneal injection following trauma. The rats were sacrificed at the sixth day of injury. Oxidative stress status was assessed by measuring the spinal cord tissue content of Malonyldialdehyde (MDA), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and Gluthatione Peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities. No effect of beta-Glucan on SOD and MDA activities was found but, GSH-Px levels were found to decrease to the baseline (preinjury) levels when it was compared to untreated group (U=0.000; p=0.002). According to our results, beta-Glucan works like a scavenger and has an antioxidant effect on lipid peroxidation in spinal cord injury.

Functional nerve regeneration after reconstructive nerve surgery remains unsatisfying. In this study, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene therapy combined with a hyaluronic acid (HA)-enriched microenvironment in nerve regeneration was investigated. Sciatic nerve was transected, and end-to-end neurorrhaphy was performed on 32 male Sprague-Dawley rats, which were randomly divided into four groups (n = 8 per group): nerve coaptation without treatment (group I); nerve coaptation covered with HA film sheath (group II); nerve coaptation with intramuscular VEGF gene in plasmid injection (group III); and nerve coaptation combined with HA film sheath and intramuscular VEGF gene in plasmid injection (group IV). Contralateral sciatic nerves were used as control. VEGF expression was verified from gluteal muscle biopsies surrounding the sciatic nerve by reverse transcriptase-PCR. Electrophysiological, histopathological, and electron microscopic evaluations were performed after 4 weeks. Mean peak amplitude of groups I-IV and nonoperated sciatic nerve were 4.5 ± 0.6 mV, 6.4 ± 0.4 mV, 6.7 ± 0.5 mV, 8.5 ± 0.4 mV, and 9.8 ± 0.5 mV, respectively. Mean myelinated axonal counts of groups I-IV and nonoperated sciatic nerve were 105 ± 24, 165 ± 19, 181 ± 22, 271 ± 23, and 344 ± 17, respectively. Treatment with HA film sheath coverage combined with intramuscular VEGF gene in plasmid injection yielded statistically significant higher peak amplitudes and myelinated axonal counts (P < 0.001). In addition, significantly less scar formation with HA administration (groups II and IV; P < 0.001) was found. Thus, it was found that VEGF might crucially regulate nerve regeneration processes and that HA can reduce the scar formation. This study showed that the combination of HA film sheath and VEGF gene may synergistically promote peripheral nerve regeneration.

Objective The central nervous system involvement of Brucellosis causes a hard to treat infection