Oxidative Stress in Spinal Cord Injury and Antioxidant-based Intervention

Study Design: Literature review.

Objectives: Spinal cord injury (SCI) remains a major public health issue in developed countries as well as worldwide. The pathophysiology of SCI is characterized by an initial primary injury followed by secondary deterioration. Although the etiology and pathogenesis of SCI remain to be fully understood, it has been suggested that reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress have a significant role in the pathophysiology of SCI. Thus, alleviating oxidative stress may be an effective strategy for therapeutic intervention of SCI. The aim of this review was to describe (i) the sources of ROS as well as the major antioxidant defenses with particular attention being paid to lipid peroxidation; (ii) the biomarkers of oxidative stress in SCI and (iii) the neuroprotective effects of various compounds with antioxidative properties in animal models of SCI.

Methods: PubMed, one of the most comprehensive biomedical databases, was searched from 1976-2011. All relevant papers were read by title, abstract and full-length article.

Results: Oxidative stress is considered a hallmark of injury of SCI. Thus, alleviating oxidative stress may be an effective way of therapeutic intervention of SCI. Two of these agents, the glucocorticoid steroid methylprednisolone and the non-glucocorticoid 21-aminosteroid tirilazad, have been shown to possess significant antioxidant activities and improve recovery of SCI patients in clinical trials. Other promising botanical compounds and their molecular targets and mechanisms of action with regard to potential protection against SCI were also described. These include carotenoids and phenolic compounds.

Conclusion: ROS and oxidative stress have a significant role in the pathophysiology of SCI. Alleviating oxidative stress is be an effective strategy for therapeutic intervention of SCI. Extensive research over the past several decades has identified numerous bioactive compounds that have antioxidative stress benefits in animal models of SCI. Thus, continued studies on bioactive compounds with ROS-scavenging capacity may lead to the development of effective antioxidant-based modalities for treating SCI in human subjects.