A Study of Adenosine Treatment in Experimental Acute Spinal Cord Injury

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Abstract
Study Design. A prospective, randomized, blinded experimental trauma study. Study Objective. The effect of adenosine on arachidonic acid metabolites and lipid peroxidation was investigated in induced spinal cord injury. Summary of Background Data. Effects of adenosine in ischemia-reperfusion models have been studied, but no studies of adenosine's effect on direct trauma to the spinal cord have been reported. Methods. Thirty-seven adult Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into four groups and underwent laminectomy. Group 1 underwent a sham operation. Group 2 received an intravenous adenosine infusion of 100 μg/kg per minute for 30 minutes. In Group 3, a standard spinal cord trauma of 50 g.cm strength was established at the lower thoracic level with a "weight-drop" technique, and Group 4 received an infusion of adenosine (100 μg/kg per minute) for 30 minutes after the trauma. Results. Tissue prostaglandin E2 activity was significantly higher in adenosine-treated trauma groups when compared with that in other groups (P < 0.0001). The difference in tissue leukotriene C4 activity between control and trauma groups was significant (P < 0.05). Adenosine infusion after trauma limited the increases in lipid peroxidation, with the difference approaching significance at P = 0.06. The structure of myelin was well preserved in the adenosine-treated trauma group. However, the changes were irreversible in severely damaged areas. Conclusion. After acute spinal cord trauma, intravenous adenosine infusion of 100 μg/kg per minute could attenuate progression to secondary injury, but adenosine alone was not effective yet.