1. Dexmedetomidine modulates neuroinflammation and improves outcome via alpha2-adrenergic receptor signaling after rat spinal cord injury.
- Author
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Gao, Jiandong, Sun, Zhihua, Xiao, Zhaoyang, Du, Qihang, Niu, Xinhuan, Wang, Gongming, Chang, Yu-Wen, Sun, Yongtao, Sun, Wei, Lin, Amity, Maze, Mervyn, Beattie, Michael, Pan, Jonathan, and Bresnahan, Jacqueline
- Subjects
dexmedetomidine ,macrophage polarisation ,microglia ,neuroinflammation ,spinal cord injury ,α2-adrenergic receptor ,Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Agonists ,Animals ,Cells ,Cultured ,Dexmedetomidine ,Disease Models ,Animal ,Female ,Inflammation ,Microglia ,Rats ,Rats ,Long-Evans ,Receptors ,Adrenergic ,alpha-2 ,Signal Transduction ,Spinal Cord ,Spinal Cord Injuries - Abstract
BACKGROUND: Spinal cord injury induces inflammatory responses that include the release of cytokines and the recruitment and activation of macrophages and microglia. Neuroinflammation at the lesion site contributes to secondary tissue injury and permanent locomotor dysfunction. Dexmedetomidine (DEX), a highly selective α2-adrenergic receptor agonist, is anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective in both preclinical and clinical trials. We investigated the effect of DEX on the microglial response, and histological and neurological outcomes in a rat model of cervical spinal cord injury. METHODS: Anaesthetised rats underwent unilateral (right) C5 spinal cord contusion (75 kdyne) using an impactor device. The locomotor function, injury size, and inflammatory responses were assessed. The effect of DEX was also studied in a microglial cell culture model. RESULTS: DEX significantly improved the ipsilateral upper-limb motor dysfunction (grooming and paw placement; P
- Published
- 2019