Application of natural antioxidants from traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of spinal cord injury

Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2022 · DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.976757 · Published: October 5, 2022

Spinal Cord Injury Alternative Medicine Pharmacology

Simple Explanation

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe condition often caused by physical trauma, leading to significant disability and burden on families. Current treatments are not very effective. Oxidative stress (OS), an imbalance between harmful free radicals and protective antioxidants, plays a crucial role in the secondary damage following SCI. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) offers a potential therapeutic strategy due to its antioxidant and neuroprotective effects. This review investigates the role of oxidative stress in SCI and highlights TCM with antioxidant properties that could be used for treatment. The review explores how specific metabolites and compounds in TCM can alleviate oxidative stress and contribute to recovery after spinal cord injury, suggesting TCM as a valuable supplementary treatment option.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

Review article

Evidence Level

Review

Key Findings

1
Oxidative stress plays a vital role in secondary injury after SCI, leading to damage of biological macromolecules, ion imbalances, and mitochondrial dysfunctions.
2
TCM interventions for SCI aim to invigorate Qi, activate blood circulation, and remove blood stasis, aligning with TCM treatment principles.
3
From a modern perspective, TCM's role in SCI involves suppressing M1 microglia, enhancing SOD activity, decreasing MDA levels, and promoting mitochondrial functions.

Research Summary

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition with limited effective treatments. Oxidative stress (OS) significantly contributes to secondary injury mechanisms following SCI. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) presents a promising supplementary approach due to its natural antioxidant properties. TCM can treat SCI by supplementing qi, activating blood circulation, and removing blood stasis. The review suggests combining TCM with emerging nanotechnology or tissue scaffold therapies to enhance nerve function repair and reconstruction after SCI, advocating for in-depth research on TCM's traditional theories and mechanisms of action.

Practical Implications

Therapeutic Strategy

Lessening oxidative stress may become an effective therapeutic strategy for SCI.

Supplementary Treatment

Active herbal extracts and metabolites with scavenging capacity may be more suitable to be the supplementary treatment to improve SCI, particularly resveratrol and quercetin.

Future Research

Combine active herbal extracts and metabolites with emerging nanotechnology or modern tissue scaffold therapies to improve the effect of nerve function repair and reconstruction after SCI.

Study Limitations

1
Investigations on the application of TCM in SCI are generally published in low-impact journals, suggesting that this field of study is still in the initial stages.
2
Promising results have been widely verified in animal models, instead of the implementation in human clinical applications, which makes us more aware of the obstacles and limitations of TCM in SCI.
3
“Drug-Drug Interaction” (DDI) occurs in the traditional botanical drugs and formulas owing to their numerous compounds, which may cause the complication of predicting and preventing adverse reactions.

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