Protective effect of Oxymatrine against acute spinal cord injury in rats via modulating oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis

The present study was performed to examine the effect of oxymatrine (OMT) on motor functions and histopathologic changes after spinal cord injury and the mechanism underlying its neuroprotective effects. Results suggested that, OMT causes regain of lost motor function near to normal via attenuating oxidative stress, inflammatory response and cellular apoptosis. These observations were further supported by histological examination of spinal cord of rats. It also showed to regulate pro-inflammatory cytokines, Bcl2 family proteins and reduces the level of toll like receptor (TLR-4) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-B) in concentration dependent manner. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway was also regulated by OMT after SCI. It has been suggested that, OMT promotes the recovery of motor function after SCI in rats via multiple mechanism, and this effect may be related to its anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects.