Neuroprotective effects of uric acid on axotomized spinal motoneurons in neonate rats

Abstract

Introduction: Recently the neuroprotective role of uric acid (UA), as a natural biochemical substance, in neurodegenerative diseases has been proposed. Due to the critical role of apoptosis in many diseases of the nervous system, the present study was designed to investigate the anti-apoptotic effect of UA on motor neurons of the ventral spinal horn in neonate rats. Materials and Methods: Two-day-old rat neonates (n=10) were subdivided into experimental and control groups. In both groups, right sciatic nerve was transected. Experimental neonates were immediately treated with 10mg/kg UA intraperitoneally, while the control’s wound was closed without treatment. Five days after axotomy, transverse sections of spinal cord at L5 level were prepared for morphometric cell count and TUNNEL assay. Results: The motor neuron loss in axotomized side compared to intact side was 30.48%, which illustrates the effectiveness of axotomy in inducing motoneuron cell death. The TUNNEL assay confirmed the apoptotic characteristics of cell death. Comparing the mean motoneurons loss in the axotomized side of the control and UA-treated neonates, revealed a significant difference between the two groups (p