ABSTRACT
To study the protective effects and the mechanism of drugs on apoptosic neural cells after spinal cord injury and the mechanism of their effects on severe degree compression injury to the lower thoracic spinal cord (T 8.9). Rats were divided into four groups randomly . The first group of rats were treated with saline solution(20?l) intrathecally after injury, the second group with cyceoheximide (CH)(30?g/20?l) intrathecally, the third group with monosialicganglioside(GM)(100?g/20?l),and the fourth group methylprednisolone(MP)(30mg/kg). The changes in weight, spinal cord blood flow(SCBF), terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL),neurological function and quantitative histological changes were observed.The results indicated that drugs had little effects on the SCBF. But drugs could improve the neurological function and area of spared normal tissue, and obviously reduce the number of TUNEL-positive cells. The results suggested that drugs had neuroprotective effects on the injuried spinal cord. The mechanism of the beneficial effects might be a reduction in neuronal cells apoptosis.