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Abstract

The inability to repair the damaged membrane may be one of the key mechanisms underlying the severe neuronal degeneration and overall functional loss seen in in vivo spinal cord injury and traumatic axonal injury in blunt head trauma. Promoting membrane resealing following damage may therefore constitute a potential effective therapeutic intervention in treating head trauma and spinal cord injuries. In our previous studies, we have shown that the axolemma failed to reseal following transection in clinically related situations, such as low extracellular calcium and low temperature. Our current studies indicate that DMSO is capable of rendering significant improvement in guinea pig axonal membrane resealing following transection in both 0.5 mM [Ca(2+)](0) and 25 degrees C situations. This was demonstrated physiologically by monitoring membrane potential recovery and anatomically by conducting HRP-exclusion assays 60 minutes after injury. Further, we have shown that the addition of DMSO in normal Krebs' solution (2 mM [Ca(2+)](0) and 37 degrees C) resulted in a decrease in membrane repair following injury. This indicates that DMSO-mediated membrane repair is sensitive to temperature and calcium. This study suggests the role of DMSO in axonal membrane resealing in clinically relevant conditions and raises the possibility of using DMSO in combination with other more established therapies in spinal cord injury treatment.

Effect of oleamide on pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures in rats

“…These data show that the mortality rate decreases after injection of not only oleamide, but also of DMSO. Previous studies showed that DMSO has neuroprotective activity [7,9]. However, individual treatment with DMSO did not induce the anticonvulsant effect.…”

Acrolein‐mediated injury in nervous system trauma and diseases

“…First, the most severe plasma membrane leakage occurs immediately following gross trauma [42–45]. Membrane breaches due to primary injury in vitro reseal in a time dependent manner [42–45].…”

“…First, the most severe plasma membrane leakage occurs immediately following gross trauma [42–45]. Membrane breaches due to primary injury in vitro reseal in a time dependent manner [42–45]. Conversely, micromolar levels of acrolein disrupt the plasma membrane in a progressive process: damage becomes evident following a delay ranging from minutes to hours [10, 11].…”

Neuronal Plasma Membrane Integrity is Transiently Disturbed by Traumatic Loading

“…Dimethysulfoxide (DMSO; Sigma), the vehicle for dimethyl BAPTA-AM (0.06%v/v), has been reported to increase resealing of plasma membrane at low extracellular Ca 2+ concentrations. 37 However, control experiments using cells that were pretreated with DMSO only (0.06%v/v) were not significantly different than the nontreatment group (data not shown). Also, similar results were found when using FITC-conjugated dextran molecules as permeability markers (data not shown), indicating that this phenomenon is not a result of calcein interaction with the agents used.…”