BACKGROUND: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is an injury-triggered event that is associated with permanent neurologic deficit. The deficit instigated by SCI leads to medical co-morbidity, not only affecting sensory and motor capabilities, but also having an impact on the physiological and economic condition of the patient. Against this backdrop, the present study was carried out to investigate the effect of lycopsamine, a plant-derived alkaloid in SCI rats.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: The traumatic SCI injury in rats was created using a force-calibrated weight-drop device. The Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scale was used to investigate the functional consequences of SCI. DAPI (4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) and Tunnel staining were used to detect apoptosis. Western blot and qRT-PCR was used to examine the protein and gene expressions, respectively.
RESULTS: The results revealed that lycopsamine significantly (p<0.01) improved locomotory function in SCI rats. Lycopsamine also significantly (p<0.01) decreased the lesion area of the SCI rats. Investigation of the effect of lycopsamine on cell death following SCI revealed that lycopsamine reduces apoptotic cell death following SCI. The lycopsamine-induced reduction in apoptosis was allied with downregulation of calpain, cleaved caspase 3 and 9, and Bax. However, the expression of BCl-2 was significantly upregulated. Furthermore, lycopsamine significantly (p<0.01) upregulated the expression of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and decreased the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α).
CONCLUSIONS: Lycopsamine exerts protective effects in PCI rats by improving functional recovery and suppressing apoptosis.

Keywords: Apoptosis, Gene Expression, Spinal Cord Injuries