The Protective Effects of Monosialicganglioside on the Spinal Cord Injury

Objective:To study the protective effects and the mechanism of monosialicganglioside (GM) on the spinal cord injury.Methods:Following a controlled,severe degree compression injury to the lower thoracic spinal cord(T 8,9 ),rats were divided into tow groups randomly.One group of rats were treated with normal saline solution(20μl) intrathecally 15 minutes after injury.The other rats were administrated GM(30μg,20μl) intrathecally.The changes of weight,spinal cord blood flow(SCBF),the terminal deoxynucleotidy1 transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL),neurological function and quantitative histological sparing were observed.Results:We found that GM had little effects on the SCBF.But GM could improve the neurological function,weight,area of spared normal tissure,and obvioulsy reduce the mortality and the number of TUNEL-positive cells.Conclusion:The results suggest that GM has neuroprotective effects on the injured spinal cord,the mechanism of the beneficial effects of GM may be resulted from reduction of spinal cord cell apoptosis.