Post-traumatic moderate systemic hypothermia reduces TUNEL positive cells following spinal cord injury in rat
S Shibuya, O Miyamoto, NA Janjua, T Itano, S Mori and H Norimatsu
Spinal Cord, 2004
Spinal cord injury was given to male rats with some receiving either hypothermia or normothermia. The rats were then subjected to situ nick-end labeling (TUNEL), a specific method for visualizing cell death in the spinal cord. At 24 h postinjury, TUNEL positive cells decreased significantly 10 mm rostral to center of injury in hypothermic animals compared to the normothermia group. These results indicate that systemic hypothermia has a neuroprotective effect.