Expression changes of Bcl-2 and Bax in response to FTY720 after acute spinal cord injury in rats

Objective To observe the effect of FTY720 on the expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax protein and explore the neuroprotective effect of FTY720 on neuron after acute spinal cord injury in the rats. Methods A total of 75 SD rats were divided randomly into three groups, ie, the test group （ treated with FTY720）, the injury group （treated with normal saline） and the control group. The test and injury groups were impacted to create Tm0 spinal cord injury （SCI） by Allen＇s method. Both the mRNA and protein expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax in the injured spinal cord section were studied respectively with hematoxylin and eosin （ HE ） staining, immunohistochemical examination and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction （ RT -PC R） technique at different time points （ at 6 h, 12 h,24 h,3 d and 7 d）. Results The expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax in the test group and the injury group were higher than that in the control group at all time points. Meanwhile, at 12 h, 24 h, 3 d and 7 d, the mRNA and protein expressions of Bel-2 in the test group were significantly higher than that in the injury group （ P 〈 0.05 ）, while the mRNA and protein expressions of Bax in the test group were obviously lower than that in the injury group （ P 〈 0.05 ）. Conclusion Early administration of FTY720 （0.5 mg/kg） after spinal cord injury can increase the mRNA and protein expressions of Bcl-2, decrease the expression of Bax and inhibit neuron apoptosis in the injured spinal cord. Key words: Spinal cord injuries ;  Bcl-2 ;  Bax;  Rats