Investigation of efficacy of treatment in spinal cord injury: Erythropoietin versus methylprednisolone:

Background:Investigation of the expression of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-β and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in rats with spinal cord injury as a marker of neurologic recovery between groups treated with erythropoietin (EPO) and methylprednisolone (MP).Methods:Thirty adult female rats were randomly divided into three even groups. A laminectomy was applied to thoracic ninth vertebra and contusion injury was induced by extradural application of an aneurysm clip. Group 1 rats received one-time intrathecal administration of normal saline, group 2 rats received MP, and group 3 rats received EPO. Motor neurological function was evaluated by the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scale. Thirty days after the surgery, T8–10 segments of the spinal cords were extracted and the immunohistochemical assay revealed the number of PDGF-β- and GFAP-positive cells.Results:Evaluation of the last control animal showed that BBB score in the EPO group showed an increase from 1 to 12 (p < 0...