Therapeutic efficacy of cyclosporin A against spinal cord injury in rats with hyperglycemia

The present study aimed to explore the therapeutic effects of cyclosporin A (CsA) on spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats with hyperglycemia and to identify a novel potential method to treat SCI in the presence of hyperglycemia. Female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly allocated into four groups: Sham, SCI, SCI+hyperglycemia and SCI+hyperglycemia+CsA groups. Streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic SD rats and a weight-drop contusion SCI model were established. The Basso, Beattie, Bresnahan scale and inclined plane test were used to evaluate the neurological function of the rats. Flow cytometric assay was performed to detect the apoptotic rates of cells in the spinal cord. ELISA and western blot analysis were performed to determine the levels of interleukin (IL)-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, cyclophilin-D (Cyp-D) and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF). The results demonstrated that CsA significantly improved the neurological function of the SCI rats with hyperglycemia. CsA markedly reduced the number of apoptotic cells exaggerated by hyperglycemia in the spinal cord of the SCI rats. CsA significantly decreased the expression levels of IL-10, TNF-α, Cyp-D and AIF in the spinal cord of the SCI rats. Overall, the present study revealed a significant role of CsA in the treatment of SCI in the presence of hyperglycemia by inhibiting the apoptosis of spinal cord cells.