Asiaticoside attenuates the effects of spinal cord injury through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and inhibition of the p38-MAPK mechanism

Abstract

Asiaticoside has potent pharmacological activity and broader pharmacological effects, including anti‑oxidant, antidepressant and hepatic protection effects, and the inhibition of tumor cell proliferation. However, the mechanism underlying the effects of asiaticoside on neurological pain in spinal cord injury (SCI) remain to be fully elucidated. Therefore, the present study investigated the specific mechanism underlying the beneficial action of asiaticoside in a SCI rat model. In the present study, Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan scores was determined to analyze the therapeutic effects of asiaticoside on the neurological function of the SCI rat model. The water content of the spinal cord was also determined to measure its effects on the SCI rats. Oxidative stress, levels of nitric oxide and inflammation were detected using commercial kits. Western blot analysis was used to measure the protein expression levels of p38‑mitogen‑activated protein kinase (MAPK) in the SCI rat. Asiaticoside effectively augmented the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan scores of the SCI rats. Significant reductions in the water content of the spinal cord, the levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and the activities of the nuclear factor‑κB p65 unit, tumor necrosis factor‑α, interleukin(IL)‑1β and IL‑6 were observed in the experimental animals. Furthermore, on examination of the oxidative stress‑associated parameters, increased production of malondialdehyde and decreased levels of superoxide dismutase, glutathione and glutathione peroxidase were detected in the SCI rat model. Asiaticoside also significantly suppressed the expression of p38‑MAPK, which indicated that the therapeutic effects of asiaticoside may be associated with the p38‑MAPK pathway. These data confirmed that asiaticoside attenuates SCI through antioxidant and anti‑inflammatory effects, and through inhibition of the p38‑MAPK mechanism.