OBJECTIVE:To investigate the anti-apoptosis effect and the mechanism of GM 1 ganglioside on nerve cell af?ter the spinal cord injury.METHODS:The rats with compressed injury at the T8.9level of spinal cord were employed as the model.Then the rats were divided into two groups at random,one for the control and one for GMI treatment.The rats in each group were administrated normal saline solution(20?l)and GM 1 (30?g,20?l)intrathecally10minutes after injury,respective?ly.The apoptosis of nerve cells in the injured spinal cord were examined by TUNEL and flow cytometry with nerve cells labeled with Annexin V/PI;and Caspase3activity was measured by fluorometric immunosorbent enzyme assay.RESULTS:The apoptotic cells appeared in both groups at4h and reached their peak on3rd day after the injury.The proportion of apoptotic cells and the intracelluar Caspase3activity in the GM 1 treated group were significant lower than those in the control group(P