Effects of Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy on Functional Recovery and Circulating miR-375 and miR-382-5p after Subacute and Chronic Spinal Cord Contusion Injury in Rats

Biomedicines, 2022 · DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10071630 · Published: July 7, 2022

Spinal Cord Injury Regenerative Medicine

Simple Explanation

This study explores if shockwave therapy can help rats recover from spinal cord injuries. The therapy was applied during both the subacute and chronic phases of the injury to see if it could improve their motor function. The researchers also looked at small molecules called microRNAs in the rats' blood to see if they changed after the injury and treatment. These changes might help explain how shockwave therapy could be helping the rats recover. The results showed that rats treated with shockwave therapy had better motor function than those that weren't. The microRNA analysis also pointed to some potential targets for future therapies.

Study Duration

17 Weeks

Participants

Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=20 for each treatment group, n=30 controls)

Evidence Level

Level II: Animal Study

Key Findings

1
Rats receiving ESWT showed significant improvement in motor function in both a subacute and a chronic experimental setting.
2
Expression analysis of various miRNAs, however, revealed changes after SCI and ESWT, with increased miR-375, indicating a neuroprotective effect, and decreased miR-382-5p potentially improving neuroplasticity via its regulatory involvement with BDNF.
3
Volumetric differences between ESWT-treated and control groups were not signiﬁcant, as shown in Figure 4.

Research Summary

This study investigated the effects of low-energy ESWT applied in the subacute and chronic phases of SCI on recovery in a rat spinal cord contusion model. Rats receiving ESWT showed signiﬁcant improvement in motor function in both a subacute and a chronic experimental setting. The identiﬁcation of miR-375 and miR-382-5p could potentially provide new targets for therapeutic intervention in future studies.

Practical Implications

New Therapeutic Targets

Identification of miR-375 and miR-382-5p as potential targets for therapeutic intervention in future SCI studies.

Non-invasive Therapy

ESWT is a non-invasive therapy that shows promise in improving functional outcomes after SCI.

Clinical Trial Foundation

Results provided fundamental support for a clinical trial on the effects of ESWT in acute traumatic spinal cord injury.

Study Limitations

1
Study did not include a sham operated group.
2
Functional improvement within the chronic setting was still ongoing by the end of the observation period.
3
Further investigations are required to explore the effects of the laminectomy on miRNA changes.

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