1. Harpagophytum procumbens Extract Ameliorates Allodynia and Modulates Oxidative and Antioxidant Stress Pathways in a Rat Model of Spinal Cord Injury.
- Author
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Ungerer G, Cui J, Ndam T, Bekemeier M, Song H, Li R, Siedhoff HR, Yang B, Appenteng MK, Greenlief CM, Miller DK, Sun GY, Folk WR, and Gu Z
- Subjects
- Aldehydes metabolism, Animals, Drug Evaluation, Preclinical, Gene Expression Regulation drug effects, Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) biosynthesis, Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) genetics, Hyperalgesia etiology, Inflammation, Male, Mice, Motor Activity drug effects, NF-E2-Related Factor 2 biosynthesis, NF-E2-Related Factor 2 genetics, Nitric Acid metabolism, Plant Extracts chemistry, Plant Extracts pharmacology, Rats, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Reactive Nitrogen Species metabolism, Reactive Oxygen Species metabolism, Single-Blind Method, Touch, Harpagophytum chemistry, Hyperalgesia drug therapy, Oxidative Stress drug effects, Phytotherapy, Plant Extracts therapeutic use, Spinal Cord Injuries complications
- Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a deliberating disorder with impairments in locomotor deficits and incapacitating sensory abnormalities. Harpagophytum procumbens (Hp) is a botanical widely used for treating inflammation and pain related to various inflammatory and musculoskeletal conditions. Using a modified rodent contusion model of SCI, we explored the effects of this botanical on locomotor function and responses to mechanical stimuli, and examined possible neurochemical changes associated with SCI-induced allodynia. Following spinal cord contusion at T10 level, Hp (300 mg/kg, p.o.) or vehicle (water) was administered daily starting 24 h post-surgery, and behavioral measurements made every-other day until sacrifice (Day 21). Hp treatment markedly ameliorated the contusion-induced decrease in locomotor function and increased sensitivity to mechanical stimuli. Determination of Iba1 expression in spinal cord tissues indicated microglial infiltration starting 3 days post-injury. SCI results in increased levels of 4-hydroxynonenal, an oxidative stress product and proalgesic, which was diminished at 7 days by treatment with Hp. SCI also enhanced antioxidant heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression. Concurrent studies of cultured murine BV-2 microglial cells revealed that Hp suppressed oxidative/nitrosative stress and inflammatory responses, including production of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species, phosphorylation of cytosolic phospholipases A
2 , and upregulation of the antioxidative stress pathway involving the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 and HO-1. These results support the use of Hp for management of allodynia by providing resilience against the neuroinflammation and pain associated with SCI and other neuropathological conditions.- Published
- 2020
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