Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Chronic progressive compressive spinal cord injury is difficult to reach in animal models, and the underlying mechanisms differ greatly from that in humans.
OBJECTIVE: To construct a new rat model of chronic progressive compressive spinal cord injury and to investigate nestin expression rule and significance in spinal cord injury area after chronic progressive compressive spinal cord injury.
METHODS: Forty rats were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 30) and a control group (n = 10). Rat 7, 8 vertebral plates were removed and were filled with water-swelling material to establish rat models of chronic progressive compressive spinal cord injury. At 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 days after implantation, spinal cord tissue at the compressive region was harvested for pathological examination and nestin immunohistochemical staining. Nestin mRNA expression was determined by semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR. The vertebral canal diameter at the compressive segment and the thickness of expansive material were simultaneously determined.                 
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In the experimental group, with the prolonged time, vertebral canal occupied was gradually enlarged, necrotic spinal cord tissue was observed, rat BBB scores were decreased, nestin mRNA and protein expression in the compressive spinal cord tissue peaked 7 days after injury and then tended to decrease. These findings suggest that chronic compressive spinal cord injury was successfully induced in rats, and nestin mRNA and protein expression in such an animal model exhibit dynamic changes.