Therapeutic effects of vitamin D3 on motor functions following experimental spinal cord injury

OBJECTIVE: Spinal cord injuries are frequently encountered and is a major health problem because it causes severe disability. The neurological damage of acute spinal cord trauma includes primary mechanisms of injury and cell death activation cascades that causes damage of the tissue. The aim of this study is to investigate the therapeutic effects of vitamin D3 in a rat model of spinal cord injury. METHODS: The study was performed at Haydarpasa Numune Training Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. Twenty-one Spraque-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to the following study groups: the control group, undergoing laminectomy procedure; trauma group, undergoing spinal cord injury after laminectomy; and trauma plus vitamin D3 group, undergoing spinal cord injury after laminectomy and later administration of vitamin D3 on days 1., 3., 5., 7. intraperitoneally with a dosage of 1mcg/kg/day. The functional outcome was evaluated by using inclined plane test and Drummond and Moore motor function score on days 1, 7, 14, 21. Spinal cord samples of the control, trauma and trauma plus vitamin D3 groups were obtained for histopathologic evaluations after clinical examinations and was examined under light microscope. RESULTS: Inclined plane test scores and motor function scores of vitamin D3 group were significantly higher than the trauma group at 1.,2. and 3. week. CONCLUSION: In our study we have investigated the therapeutic effects of vitamin D3 and found out that it has a positive impact to the recovery process of the spinal cord injury