RESVERATROL PROTECTED THE CEREBELLAR TISSUE AGAINST SPINAL CORD INJURY IN RATS

Abdurrahim Taş¹, Engin Deveci^{2, *}

¹Department of Neurosurgery, Medical Faculty, Dicle University, Diyarbakır, Turkey - ²Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical Faculty, Dicle University, Diyarbakir, Turkey

Objective: Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes various neurological consequences that disrupt the structure of axons. The aim of our study is to investigate the protective effect of resveratrol on cerebellar damage induced by spinal cord injury.

Methods: Twenty-four Wistar Albino rats were categorized as control, SCI, and SCI+Resveratrol groups. At T10-T11 vertebras, a steel rod was dropped from 10 cm to create a spinal cord injury under anesthesia. A cylindrical tube of 10 cm length was fixed to the area to be laminectomy. Spinal damage was created by dropping a 15-gram metal weight down the tube. Immediately after the spinal cord injury, 30 mg/kg Resveratrol intraperitoneally was administered for 7 days. At the end of the experiment, cerebellar tissue samples were taken from the animals and analyzed with various biochemical markers. Cerebellum was excised for routine paraffin tissue protocol. A hematoxylin-Eosin stain was used for histological examination, and Caspase-3 antibodies were used for immunohistochemistry.

Result: Both malondialdehyde (MDA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) values were significantly increased in the SCI group compared to the control group. Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) content was statistically decreased in the SCI group compared to the control group. While resveratrol treatment after SCI decreased MDA and MPO values, it was observed that it increased GSH-Px content significantly. In histopathological results, control group showed normal histology of cerebellar tissue. In the SCI group, degenerated Purkinje cells, pathological alterations in the substantial alba region, hyperplasic glial cells, and vascular dysfunction were observed. Resveratrol treatment alleviated the pathology after SCI application. Caspase-3 expression was negative in cerebellar cells in the control group. In the SCI group, Caspase-3 immune activity was increased cerebellar cells. In the SCI+Resveratrol group, Caspase-3 expression was significantly reduced in glial cells, vascular structures, and Purkinje cells.

Conclusion: After SCI, Resveratrol, with its antioxidative effect, reduced the hypoxia and prevented degeneration and apoptosis by blocking Caspase-3 activity.