Anti-inflammatory effect of the epigallocatechin gallate following spinal cord trauma in rat.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) stimulates an inflammatory reaction that causes substantial secondary damage inside the injured spinal tissue. The purpose of this study was to determine the anti-inflammatory effects of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on traumatized spinal cord.

Rats were randomly divided into four groups of 12 rats each as follow: sham-operated group, trauma group, and EGCG-treatment groups (50 mg/kg, i.p., immediately and 1 hour after SCI). Spinal cord samples were taken 24 hours after injury and studied for determination of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, histopathological assessment and immunohistochemistry of tumor necrosis factor-Alpha (TNF-Alpha), interleukin-1Beta (IL-1Beta), Nitrotyrosine, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP).

The results showed that MPO activity was significantly decreased in EGCG-treatment groups. Attenuated TNF-Alphaα, IL-1Beta, Nitrotyrosine, iNOS, COX-2, and PARP expression could be detected in the EGCG treated rats. Also, EGCG attenuated myelin degradation.

On the basis of these findings, we propose that EGCG may be effective in protecting rat spinal cord from secondary damage by modulating the inflammatory reactions.