【Animal Modeling】-Other spinal cord injury models

  1. Chemical injury model The chemical injury model is the injury of spinal cord tissue cells by local injection or intrathecal administration. The pathological changes of the injury are mainly caused by the breakdown of neurons and will not destroy the integrity. This is similar to the pathological changes of polio and is suitable for studying nerve cell transplantation. For example, transplantation of glutamate, aspartic acid, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA) or alginate through ultrafine fibers can establish excitatory spinal cord injury models and reduce dendrites and neurons Death, thereby inducing a potential conduction block. Intrathecal injection of alginic acid can also cause the death of oligodendrocytes and nerve cells. Topical use of alginic acid or NMDA on the dorsal side of the spinal cord can cause excitotoxicity, but microinjection into gray matter can cause gray matter degeneration. Injecting phospholipase A2 into the white matter of the rat ventrolateral spinal cord can cause bleeding, inflammatory cell infiltration, demyelination, gray matter and white matter lesions, and damage motor nerve conduction.

  2. Photochemical damage model The photochemical damage model usually uses photosensitizer diiodoeosin (Bengalirose) or tetraiodofluorescein disodium (Ficore B) for intravenous injection, and then uses argon ion lamp or xenon respectively. The arc light illuminates the injured spinal cord. Light reacts with photosensitizers, accumulating a large number of local free radicals, destroying spinal cord vascular endothelial cells, leading to thrombosis, ischemic injury and edema. This method can maintain the integrity of the dura mater without cutting the skin. The laser is sufficient to penetrate the surface of the spine, but due to the thermal efficiency of the light, care must be taken to prevent direct burns to the spinal cord.

  3. Spinal cord concussion injury model The spinal cord injury model uses a closed hydraulic system to injure the spinal cord. The principle is to quickly inject a quantitative saline solution into a closed cavity, thereby causing tissue deformation and displacement and tissue damage. The equipment is quantified and objectively processed in the main steps of causing harm, and the operation is simple and convenient, and it is not interfered by human factors. After the fluid hits the dura mater, pressure conduction occurs in the closed spinal canal, which is close to the closed spinal cord injury of the human body. This model has the advantages of excellent stability and repeatability, and can objectively and quantitatively measure the damage energy and damage level. At present, it is widely used in the study of head injury. However, the rheological properties of a liquid depend not only on the liquid itself, but also on the objects it contacts, which makes it difficult to perform biomechanical analysis of the device.

  The purpose of creating an animal model is to simulate human spinal cord injury and apply the key findings of the animal model to the clinic. The above-mentioned animal models have their own advantages and disadvantages. No model can be completely idealized. Various injury models can only reflect this type of spinal cord injury clinically. Various experimental procedures, such as preparing for anesthesia surgery, can also cause major errors in observing injury results and curative effects, but in the long run, further research and improvement of spinal cord injury models will provide a better understanding. By clarifying the mechanism of SCI, exploring the best use of various therapies, and promoting continuous and in-depth research on SCI, the functional reconstruction after SCI is finally realized.