Beneficial Effects of Ascorbic Acid and Alpha-tocopherol on the Locomotor Functional Recovery of Spinal Cord Injured Rats

Aim: To examine the effects of ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol on the locomotor functional recovery of rats with incomplete spinal cord injury.

Methods: A total of 80 male Sprague-Dawley rats (180–200 g) were used. Seventy of them were subjected to spinal cord injury (SCI) and given various doses of ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol as treatment for 84 days (12 weeks). The remaining 10 rats were used as a control (without SCI, untreated). Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) and Tarlov scores were used to assess the locomotor recovery.

Results: Compared with the baseline value, all the rat groups tested (i.e. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8) showed gradual improvements in the BBB and Tarlov scores at the end of the first week. These improvements were sustained at all-time points until the completion of the trial period. Besides, when compared with disease control, positive improvements were observed in all the groups tested with respect to their BBB and Tarlov scores throughout the trial period. When the low-dose ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol groups were compared with the high-dose ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol groups, positive differences were observed in the BBB and Tarlov scores. When compared with the ascorbic acid treatment group significant additional improvements were observed in the alpha-tocopherol groups, especially in the high-dose alpha-tocopherol group.

Conclusion: Administration of high-dose alpha-tocopherol enhances the SCI-induced locomotor functional recovery as it is more effective than the ascorbic acid.