Assessment of functional recovery of contusive spinal cord injury by administration of (-)-Deprenyl in rats

In this study, the functional recovery of female rats with contusive spinal cord injury (SCI) model was evaluated after administration of (-)-deprenyl. A total of 18 Sprague Dawley female rats were selected for the study and randomly allocated into equal groups (n=6); control, sham and (-)-deprenyl-treated groups. All animals were laminectomized at T13 level. Based on the weight dropping technique contusion was induced in both control and (-)-deprenyl-treated groups. (-)-deprenyl group received daily injections of 0.1 mg/kg (-)-deprenyl and other group received intra peritoneal (IP) injection of equal amount of normal saline for 14 days. BBB test was carried out in all groups at the first day and at the end of each week after induction of injury for eighth weeks. Spared tissue volume and the number of motoneurons at the site of lesion were measured and compared by means of frozen sections of spinal cord. In contrast to control group, (-)-deprenyl-treated group showed a significant increase in motor ability at all times except for the first day (P <0.05). In the (-)-deprenyl-treated group the mean volume of spared spinal cord and the mean number of motor neurons were more than those of control group significantly (P<0.05). The results of this study indicated that (-)-deprenyl probably protected motor neurons and spinal cord white matter; hence, it caused motor recovery in contusive SCI model in female rats.