• Min Liu, Huan Chen, Min Tong, Jinping Zhou, and Xiyu Wu.
• Department of Rehabilitation, The Second Xiang-Ya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, P.R. China.
• Spine. 2018 Aug 1; 43 (16): E919-E926.

Study DesignSeventy-five Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham, complete spinal cord transection (CSCT) and hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) groups. Among them, rats in HBO group were further divided into 3 hours group (HBO1) and 12 hours group (HBO2).ObjectiveTo study the effects of ultra-early HBO therapy on femoral calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and bone metabolism of rats with CSCT.Summary Of Background DataComplete spinal cord injury (SCI) is still an unresolved problem in clinical practice. Studies on changes in (calcitonin gene-related peptide) CGRP and bone metabolism and osteoporosis prevention after SCI have important clinical significance.MethodsRats in the sham group underwent laminectomy alone, whereas rats in the other three groups underwent laminectomy and CSCT at the level of the 10th thoracic vertebra. Six weeks after operation, rat blood samples and femoral samples from CSCT area were taken and prepared for immunohistochemical staining of CGRP, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) of CGRP mRNA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the levels of serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (sBAP), serum osteocalcin (sOC), serum type-I collagen amino-terminal peptide (sNTX), and urinary deoxypyridinoline (uDPD). These data were statistically analyzed using paired LSD or Tamhane.ResultsThe number of CGRP-positive cells and expression of CGRP mRNA in femur were significantly reduced, and the levels of sBAP, sOC, sNTX, and uDPD were significantly increased in CSCT, HBO1, and HBO2 groups than in the sham group, (P < 0.05-0.01). In addition, the number of CGRP-positive cells, expression of CGRP mRNA in femur, and the levels of sBAP and sOC were significantly enhanced, but the levels of sNTX and uDPD were significantly lowered in HBO1 group than in HBO2 and CSCT groups (P < 0.05).ConclusionUltra-early HBO therapy could improve bone turnover, promote bone formation, and prohibit bone resorption by enhancing CGRP synthesis in the sensory neurons in posterior horn of spinal cord.Level Of EvidenceN/A.

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