Motor Recovery after Spinal Cord Trauma and Effect of Local Hypothermia in a Porcine Experimental Model

Abstract

This study was aimed to assess the therapeutic potential (expressed by improvement of pelvic extremities motor functions) of a 5-hour local application of hypothermia with cold saline (4 °C), or saline at room temperature (≈ 24 °C) conveyed via perfusion chamber placed epidurally over the epicenter of spinal cord lesion in minipigs paraplegic due to acute spinal cord injuries (SCIs) inflicted through L3 laminectomy with the force of 8N, 15N, or 18N by a computer operated contusion apparatus. Eighteen 5–8-month-old minipigs (Göttingen-Minnesota-Liběchov crossbreed strains weighing 28–35 kg) were randomly divided into 6 subgroups (each containing three animals) another 3 minipigs were added as sham controls. To evaluate the pelvic extremities motor recovery was used the porcine 20-point neurological scale. Regular evaluations of motor scores showed gradual spontaneous recovery of this parameter in all experimental animals, however, the best results achieved minipigs after SCI inflicted by 8N impacts. The data achieved in the study suggest that local application of therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is well tolerated and may improve functional outcomes after SCI. Further experimental and preclinical studies in different SCI animal models are required before the introduction of the method in healthcare practice.