The effect of combined resveratrol and nitric oxide treatment on the prevention of spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury: An experimental study

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate protective effects of resveratrol (an antioxidant) alone and in combination with LG-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester (L-NAME), a nitric oxide synthase [NOS] inhibitor, against spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury in an experimental rabbit model.

Materials and methods: Twenty-four rabbits were used in the study. The study was conducted on 24 rabbits assigned into four groups as follows: Group 1, sham group; Group 2, control group; Group 3, resveratrol group; and Group 4, resveratrol + L-NAME group. The blood samples were drawn before abdominal exposure and at 48 h. Resveratrol 10 mg/kg and L-NAME 3 mg/kg were given to the test subjects. The animals were sacrificed after neurological assessment at 48 h, and spinal cord tissues were removed for histopathological examination.

Results: No significant difference was observed in biochemical analyses, while there were significant differences in neurological and histopathological examination results among the groups. The highest functional neurological improvement (as assessed by Tarlov score: 4.5±0.57) was observed in the resveratrol + L-NAME group (p<0.05). A significant improvement was recorded in the resveratrol + L-NAME group (3.2±0.5) in histopathological examination (p<0.05).

Conclusion: In the experimental ischemia-reperfusion model used in this study, it was proven that resveratrol + L-NAME combination had more favorable histopathological and neurological effects on spinal cord injury, compared to resveratrol alone.