Gonadotropin-releasing hormone and growth hormone act as anti-inﬂammatory factors improving sensory recovery in female rats with thoracic spinal cord injury

Front. Neurosci., 2023 · DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1164044 · Published: June 9, 2023

Spinal Cord Injury Endocrinology Neurology

Simple Explanation

This study investigates the potential of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and growth hormone (GH) to mitigate neural damage after spinal cord injury (SCI) in female rats. The research focuses on the anti-inflammatory effects of these hormones and their impact on sensory recovery. The experiment involved inducing SCI in rats and then administering GnRH, GH, or a combination of both over several weeks. Researchers then examined the expression of pro-inflammatory markers and glial activity in damaged neural tissues, alongside assessing sensory recovery in the rats' hindlimbs. The findings indicate that both GH and GnRH treatments significantly reduced inflammation and modulated glial activity in the spinal cord tissue. This was correlated with improved sensory recovery in the injured animals, suggesting these hormones could offer therapeutic benefits for SCI.

Study Duration

3 or 5 weeks

Participants

Female Wistar rats

Evidence Level

Original Research

Key Findings

1
Chronic treatment with GH and/or GnRH significantly reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory markers (IL6, IL1B, and iNOS) in the spinal cord tissue of rats with SCI.
2
GH and/or GnRH treatments also significantly reduced the expression of glial activity markers (Iba1, CD86, CD206, vimentin, and GFAP) in the spinal cord tissue of rats with SCI.
3
Treatment with GH and/or GnRH improved sensory recovery in the hindlimbs of rats subjected to thoracic SCI, as measured by the hot-plate test.

Research Summary

This study investigated the anti-inflammatory and glial-modulatory effects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and growth hormone (GH) in a rat model of thoracic spinal cord injury (SCI). The findings indicate that chronic treatment with GH and/or GnRH significantly reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory and glial activity markers in the lesioned spinal cord tissue. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that GH and GnRH treatments improved sensory recovery in the injured animals, suggesting their potential as therapeutic agents for SCI.

Practical Implications

Therapeutic Potential

GnRH and GH may serve as potential therapeutic interventions for spinal cord injury due to their anti-inflammatory and glial-modulatory effects.

Combination Therapy

The study highlights the possibility of using GnRH and GH in combination to enhance recovery after SCI, although synergistic effects were not observed in this study.

Clinical Translation

The findings support the exploration of currently available hormonal treatments to reduce the progression of neural damage after trauma, stroke, or neurosurgery.

Study Limitations

1
The study was conducted on female rats, and the results may not be directly applicable to males.
2
The study did not observe a synergistic effect of the combined hormonal administration, warranting further investigation into the optimal treatment strategies.
3
The temporality of mRNA and protein expression studies differed (3 weeks vs 5 weeks post-injury), potentially affecting the interpretation of GFAP results.

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