Effects of the combined administration of vitamins C and e on the oxidative stress status and programmed cell death pathways after experimental spinal cord injury

Study Design:Experimental, controlled, animal study.Objectives:To assess the effects of vitamins C and E (VCE) treatment on oxidative stress and programmed cell deaths after rat spinal cord injury (SCI), as well as functional recovery.Setting:Taiwan.Methods:Fifty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were used for the experimental procedure. In the sham group, laminectomy at T10 was performed, followed by impactor contusion of the spinal cord. In the control group, only a laminectomy was performed without contusion. Oxidative stress status was assessed by measuring the spinal cord tissue content of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and gluthatione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities. We also evaluated the effects of combined VCE treatment using western blot to analyze expression of cleaved caspase-3 and microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3), and the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) scale to evaluate functional outcomes.Results:Combined treatment of VCE significantly counteracted the effects of spinal cord contusion on oxidative stress represented by activities of SOD and GSH-Px (P