ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the effects of remote ischemic preconditioning(RIPC)on the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF),Serine/threonine protein kinase Cε(PKCε)in spinal cord tissues and change in mRNA content after spinal cord ischemic reperfusion injury(SCIRI). Methods A total of 36 cases of Japanese white rabbits were randomly divided into sham(group S),is-chemic reperfusion injury(group IR)and group IR+ RIPC(12 rabbits in each group).Each group was further divided into two sub-groups according to time points after reperfusion(2 and 5 days),six rabbits of each group were sacrificed at each time point.In group S,abdominal aorta were only separated and ex-posed and were not camped.In group IR and group IR+RIPC,the abdominal aorta were camped for 30 min,and the SCIRI models were established.In group IR+RIPC,RIPC was performed 1 h before aortic calmping.Hind-limb neurological function of each group was evaluated using Tarlov Scale at 2,5 d after surgery,then rabbits were sacrificed,and L4-L6 spinal cord segments were taken.Pathological change in spinal cord tissues were observed,the protein and mRNA expression of BDNF and PKCε were detected by Western blotting analysis and PT-PCR.Results In comparison with group IR,hind-limb neurologic func-tion scores at the same time point were significantly higher(P<0.05),and the protein and mRNA expres-sion of BDNF and PKCε were significant increased in group IR+RIPC(P<0.05).Conclusion RIPC has an important role in prevention and treatment of SCIRI in rabbits.The mechanisms may be that RIPC activates the PKCε/PKC signaling pathway and up-regulates the expression of BDNF and PKCε in spinal cord tissues after spinal cord injury.