A correlative study between early vertebral canal decompression and apoptosis following spinal cord injury in the rats

Objective:To investigate whether spinal cord decompression is related to neural cell apoptosis after spinal cord injury.Methods:The spinal cord was compressed posteriorly at L1 level using a self-designed compression device for 6,12 h and 24 h,followed by decompression by removal of the screw.Apoptosis and cellular damage were assessed by the staining of HE、Nissl、terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling(TUNEL)and immunostaining of caspase-3.Results:Compared with shame-operation group,the number of TUNEL positive cells was significantly higher in the decompression at 6、12、24 h after spinal cord injury,which was consistent with immunoreactive to caspase-3(P0.05).Conclusion:The results indicate that the dynamic change of apoptosis was correlated with duration of spinal compression.Early decompression could reduce neural cell apoptosis following secondary spinal cord injury.