The Effect of Transglutaminase on the Recovery of Somatosensory Evoked Potentials in the Rat Model of Spinal Cord Injury

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The authors present an investigation of the effect of transglutaminase(TG) on the recovery of somatosensory evoked potentials in the rat model of spinal cord injury. METHODS: Female Sprague-Dawley rats(280-310g) were used for this study. Rats were divided into two groups TG treated and control. The lesion was made by transecting the right dorsal column of the thoracic spinal cord without damage to the vasculature using specially devised micro-glass pipette after laminectomy. For TG treated group, normal saline with TG were injected into the lesion site using micro-pipette through the opening of the dura. Saltatory repetitive somatosensory evoked potentials(SSEPs) recording were carried out on post-injury 6th and 12th week. RESULTS: The amplitudes of N19 were 1.28+/-1.60 microV on 6th week, 3.45+/-3.63 microV on 12th week in control group(n=10) and 1.46+/-1.75 microV on 6th week and 5.01+/-2.65 microV on 12th week in TG-treated group(n=11). Statis-tically significant recovery of SSEPs were seen in TG-treated group(p=0.003, Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test). In TG-treated group, vacuolated degeneration around the lesion site was rarely observed on histological evaluation. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the possibility of long-term survival and saltatory recording of SSEPs in small animals like rats, after selective spinal cord injury. In addition, this study shows that TG is a factor facilitating the recovery of injured axon of central nervous system.