Expression of nestin after spinal cord injury in rats

Objective To study the expression and significance of the nestin in the areas adjacent to injured site after spinal cord injury in rats.Methods Each rat received contusion on its spinal cord at T_ 8 with modified Allen's impactor. The behavioral evaluation was performed with the Basso, Beattie Bresnahan locomotor rating scale (BBB scale). The pathological study included hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, and immunofluorescence double staining for nestin and neurofilament-200 (NF-200).Results The BBB scale decreased to minimum at 1 w after injury, improved thereafter, and at up to 4 w, accelerated to the best level and inclined plane. The nestin expression in the areas adjacent to injured site increased at 1 w after injury, reached peak at 2 w, and obviously down-regulated at 4 w. Conclusion The spinal cord injury can induce the transient expression of nestin in the areas adjacent to injured site, which may play an important role in the structural and functional reconstruction after spinal cord injury.