The study of the effect of erythropoietin on motor function of hind limbs and the expression of NF-κB after acute spinal cord injury in rats

Objective: To explore the effects of erythropoietin(EPO) on the progress of neural function′s recovery and the expressions of NF-κB in spinal cord after spinal cord injury(SCI) in rats,and provide experimental bases for clinical treatment of acute SCI. Method: 77 health mature male SD rats,weight(300±20)g,were randomized divided into four groups:normal control group,trauma model group(n=24), EPO treatment group, MP treatment group.The rat SCI model was established with Nystrom′s method.the changes of neural functional recovery of rats of 4 groups were observed through tiltboard trail and BBB score method at different time points post-operation. The expression of NF-κB were tested with immunohistochemistry technique. Result: The grade of nerve function was improved distinctly in two treatment groups,but EPO group was better than MP group.High level of NF-κB expression could be detected after SCI in EPO group,with no difference with traumatic group.The expression of NF-κB in MP group was higher than traumatic group and EPO group(P0.05). Conclusion: There is a remarkable increase of NF-κB expression in rats at early period after SCI while EPO has no significant effect on it. EPO can significantly improve the motor function of hind limbs in rats after SCI and accelerate recovery of neural function.