How to study the effect of tacrolimus on spinal cord injury model rats? -Animal modeling

  Objective: To study the therapeutic effect of tacrolimus on spinal cord injury in rats and the regulation of NF-kB/JNK signaling pathway.

  Method: The experimental rats were randomly divided into 3 groups (n = 15): sham operation group, model group and tacrolimus treatment group. The Allen method was used to establish an animal model of spinal cord injury. After modeling, the rats received tacrolimus (0.3 mg/kg) treatment for 21 days. The Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) spinal cord injury behavior score test was performed on days 0, 1, 7, 14 and 21, respectively. HE staining was used to observe the spinal cord injury of experimental rats, and to measure the activity of antioxidant enzymes in the spinal cord tissue. RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of IL-4 mRNA and TGF-βmRNA in spinal cord tissue. Western blotting was used to determine NF-kB in spinal cord tissue. Protein expression related to JNK signaling pathway.

  Results: Tacrolimus significantly improved the BBB score of SCI rats (P\u003c0.05), increased the activities of SOD, CAT, GPX enzymes, and decreased the content of MDA (P\u003c0.05), and reduced Spinal cord neurons are abnormal. The ratio of IL-4 mRNA, TGF-β mRNA and NF-kBp-p65/NF-kBp-p65 expression to p-JNK/JNK protein expression in spinal cord tissue (P\u003c0.05).

  Conclusion: Tacrolimus can significantly improve spinal cord injury through anti-oxidation, anti-inflammatory response and anti-apoptosis of spinal cord neurons, and may inhibit the activation of NF-kB/JNK signaling pathway.