Therapeutic time window for methylprednisolone in spinal cord injured rat.
10.3349/ymj.1999.40.4.313
- Author:
Do Heum YOON
1
;
Young Soo KIM
;
Wise YOUNG
Author Information
1. Department of Neurosurgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. ydoheum@yumc.yonsei.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Methylprednisolone;
spinal cord injury;
therapeutic time window
- MeSH:
Animal;
Drug Administration Schedule;
Male;
Methylprednisolone Hemisuccinate/therapeutic use;
Methylprednisolone Hemisuccinate/administration & dosage*;
Neuroprotective Agents/therapeutic use;
Neuroprotective Agents/administration & dosage*;
Rats;
Rats, Long-Evans;
Spinal Cord/pathology;
Spinal Cord Injuries/pathology;
Spinal Cord Injuries/drug therapy*
- From:Yonsei Medical Journal
1999;40(4):313-320
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Recent clinical trials have reported that methylprednisolone sodium succinate administered within 8 hours improves neurological recovery in human spinal cord injury (SCI). Methylprednisolone, however, was ineffective and possibly even deleterious when given more than 8 hours after injury. This finding suggests that a therapeutic time window exists in spinal cord injury. In order to determine the doses, durations and timing of methylprednisolone treatment for optimal neuroprotection, a single or two bolus dose of methylprednisolone (30 mg/kg) was administered at 10, 30, 120, 150 and 240 min. after three graded spinal cord injury. The primary outcome measure was 24-hour spinal cord lesion volumes estimated from spinal cord Na+ and K+ shifts. A single 30 mg/kg dose of methylprednisolone at 10 min. after injury significantly reduced 24-hour lesion volumes in injured rat spinal cords. However, any other methylprednisolone treatment starting 30 min. or more after injury had no effect on 24-hour lesion volumes compared to the vehicle control group. Moreover, delayed treatment increased lesion volumes in some cases. These results suggest that the NYU SCI model has a very short therapeutic window.
