Panax notoginseng saponins improve recovery after spinal cord transection by upregulating neurotrophic factors

This study investigates the potential of Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) to aid recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). PNS are extracted from a specific type of ginseng and have shown neuroprotective qualities. The research focuses on whether PNS can improve motor function in rats with spinal cord transection. They also examine if this improvement is linked to increased levels of nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), both crucial for nerve cell health and function. The results suggest that PNS treatment does improve motor function after SCI in rats, and this improvement is associated with increased expression of NGF and BDNF in the spinal cord.

• 1
  The BBB score, indicating locomotor function, was significantly higher in rats treated with PNS compared to those treated with saline from 7 to 30 days after injury.
• 2
  Immunohistochemistry revealed a greater number of NGF- and BDNF-immunoreactive neurons in the ventral horn of the spinal cord in rats treated with PNS compared to the control groups at 7 days post-injury.
• 3
  PNS administration after spinal cord transection increases the number of NGF- and BDNF-immunoreactive cells in the cord.