Pathomorphological and functional assessment of new method of treatment for spinal cord ischemia (experimental study)

Aim - to study dynamics of functional and morphological changes in focus of spinal cord ischemia in rats when exposed to recombinant erythropoietin (REP) and laser radiation. The research involved 80 mature rats. The animals were divided into four samples 20 animals each. The first sample was a comparison group as opposed to the spinal cord ischemia model. The second sample included animals which were given 1000 IU REP administered intraperitoneally in 3, 24 and 48 hours after ischemia. 20 animals from the third sample were exposed to post-operational supracutaneous tele-irradiation of the ischemic focus area with 980-nm-wave diode laser. The experiment conducted on the fourth sample of animals included operative wound laser exposure together with intraperitoneal administration of REP. We also assessed animals’ behavior, carried out histologic and morphometric examinations and used statistical methods. Examination of spinal cord specimen showed that at the combined use of REP and laser irradiation the number of normal neurons and blood vessels was significantly higher, and the number of chromatolytic neurons and ghost cells was lower at all stages of our experiment. In all animals from the 4th sample we observed early activation of behaviour. The combined effect of the named factors at the early stages of experiments increases the neuronal tolerance to ischemic injuries, enhances proliferation of gliocytes and endotheliocytes together with development of the new blood flow. It is accompanied with the early activation of the animals’ behaviour.