Search

WOS: 000250658500003, PubMed: 17297496, Study design: Experimental study. Objectives: To determine the neuroprotective effects of zinc and melatonin on spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injuries of rabbits. Setting: The Experimental Research Centre of Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey. Methods: Twenty-four male rabbits underwent spinal cord ischemia by clamping the thoraco-abdominal aorta for 20 min. Twenty-minutes before the aortic clamping, animals received zinc, melatonin or a combination of both. Neurological examination of the animals was performed three times during reperfusion period. The animals were killed 24 h after reperfusion. Spinal cord samples were taken for biochemical and histopathological evaluation. Results: Pre-treated animals with zinc, melatonin or combination displayed better neurological outcomes than the I/R group (P < 0.05). Zinc, melatonin and combined treatment prevented spinal cord injury by reducing apoptosis rate (P < 0.05) and preserving intact ganglion cell numbers (P < 0.05). Zinc pre-treatment protected spinal cord by preventing malondialdehyde (MDA) formation (P = 0.002), increasing glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity(P = 0.002) and decreasing xanthine oxidase enzyme activity (P = 0.026) at molecular level. Melatonin treatment also resulted with MDA formation (P = 0.002), increased GPx activity (P = 0.002) and decreased xanthine oxidase activity(P = 0.026). Conclusion: The results of the study showed that prophylactic zinc and melatonin use in spinal cord I/R not only suppressed lipid peroxidation by activating antioxidant systems but also had significant neuroprotective effects by specifically improving the neurological and histopathological situation.