The Effects of Minocycline on Spinal Root Avulsion Injury in Rat Model

This study investigates how minocycline, a neuroprotective agent, affects nerve healing after brachial plexus injury in rats. The researchers avulsed the C7 nerve roots of the rats and administered minocycline through intraperitoneal and intrathecal routes to promote motor healing. The results showed that while both administration routes reduced microglial count, intraperitoneal minocycline increased motor neuron count, whereas intrathecal minocycline decreased it. The study concludes that intraperitoneal minocycline promotes motor neuron survival by inhibiting microglial proliferation, but a higher concentration via the intrathecal route can impair motor neuron survival due to its efficient drug delivery.

• 1
  Motor neuron death and microglial proliferation were observed after traumatic avulsion injury of the ventral nerve root with minocycline administration.
• 2
  Intraperitoneal minocycline reduced microglia count but increased motor neuron count.
• 3
  Intrathecal minocycline reduced microglial count to a greater extent than intraperitoneal minocycline, but it decreased the motor neuron count.