Spinal taurine levels are increased 7 and 30 days following methylprednisolone treatment of spinal cord injury in rats

The amino acid taurine serves many functions in the nervous system serving as inhibitory neurotransmitter/neuromodulator, neurotrophin, antioxidant, a nd osmolyte. Taurine levels are increased following brain injury and glucoc orticoid administration. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine spi nal taurine concentrations following spinal cord injury (SCI) and methylpre dnisolone (MP) treatment of SCI. A total of 44 adult male Sprague-Dawley ra ts were divided into control and lesion groups. Control rats received a T6 vertebral laminectomy while lesioned rats received a laminectomy followed b y complete spinal transection. Half of the animals in each group received M P intravenously following sham-operation or SCI. Rats survived for 7 or 30 days and concentrations of taurine in spinal gray and white matter, in spin al segments both near and distant from the injury epicenter, were resolved by HPLC analysis. Taurine levels were increased 7 and 30 days following tra nsection in spinal segments immediately adjacent to the lesion and were fur ther elevated by MP treatment. No increases were seen in far rostral/caudal segments, and MP treatment alone had no effect on spinal taurine levels. T hese findings demonstrate that spinal injury results in increased taurine c oncentrations in spinal segments undergoing the greatest degree of cellular reactivity and tissue reorganization and that MP therapy potentiates these increases. These findings are significant in that they further characteriz e the effects of acute MP therapy in spinal tissue. Since taurine is though t to be involved in neuroprotection and/or regeneration following injury, t he potentiation of taurine levels by MP treatment may relate to its therape utic properties. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.