Effect of asiatic acid on oxidative stress after acute spinal cord injury in rats

Abstract

Objective To observe the effect of asiatic aicd treatment on acute spinal cord injury in rats.Methods Forty-five SD rats were randomly divided into a sham-operation group,model control group and asiatic acid treatment group.Functional outcome measurements were evaluated by the Basso,Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) score at 24,48 and 72 h.The sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for morphological and histopathological analyses.The reactive oxidative species and inflammatory factor were detected.Results The BBB score was significantly higher in the asiatic acid treatment group (6.70 ± 1.09 and 9.58 ±2.81) than in the model control group (3.05 ±0.98 and 4.55 ±0.65) at 48 h and 72 h (P ＜ 0.05).Compared to the model control,HE staining showed the histopathological performance was improved greatly in rat spinal cord in asiatic acid treatment group.At the three time points,tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) content in asiatic acid treatment group [(6.42 ± 0.15),(6.17 ± 0.25) and (5.48 ± 0.33) nmol/ml] was statistically significantly lower than in the model group [(7.55 ±0.37),(7.61 ± 0.24) and (6.59 ±0.22) nmol/ml].The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the asiatic acid treatment group [(220.55 ±3.76),(231.44 ±4.88) and (235.98 ±5.26) U/mg] was higher than in the model group [(180.31 ±4.68,175.32 ±3.45 and 170.51 ±3.44) U/mg] at the three time points.After injury,tissue myeloperoxidase (MPO) and IL contents were increased,and showed a significant difference between the model control group and asiatic acid treatment group at the three time points.Conclusion The present study suggests that asiatic acid exerts neuroprotection by reducing oxidative stress. Key words: Asiatic acid; Spinal cord injury; Oxidative stress