Trigonelline exerts its neuroprotective effects in experimental spinal cord injury through modulation of inflammation, apoptosis, and neurotrophic factors

Abstract

Objective: To assess the protective effects of trigonelline against spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats.

Methods: Rats (Sprague-Dawley, male) were randomly assigned to seven groups (n=15 per group): normal, sham, SCI control (1% DMSO), methylprednisolone (30 mg/kg), and trigonelline (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg). Rats received respective treatment daily for 28 days. SCI was induced by using a temporary aneurysm clip. Behavioral, biochemical, and histological analyses were performed to investigate the neuroprotective effect of trigonelline.

Results: Trigonelline (100 and 200 mg/kg) treatment effectively (P<0.05) mitigated SCI-induced changes in mechano-tactile sensation, allodynia, hyperalgesia, and motor nerve conduction velocity. It notably (P<0.05) downregulated apoptotic (Bax and caspase-3) and inflammatory (COX-II) markers, while upregulating Bcl-2 and BDNF mRNA expression in the spinal cord (P<0.05). Furthermore, trigonelline effectively alleviated (P<0.05) SCI-induced alterations in mitochondrial complex levels, resulting in enhanced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase, redox activity, and cytochrome-C levels. Histological examination of spinal cord tissue indicated that trigonelline significantly (P<0.05) ameliorated the histological damage caused by SCI, thereby improving neuronal degeneration, inflammatory cell infiltration, and necrosis.

Conclusions: Trigonelline shows neuroprotective properties in SCI rats by reducing allodynia, hyperalgesia, and inflammation, stabilizing mitochondrial enzyme complexes, and modulating apoptotic and neurotrophic factors. Thus, trigonelline holds promise as a potential neuroprotective agent.

Keywords

Bax / Bcl-2 / BDNF / COX-II / Spinal cord injury / Trigonelline

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments

Medical writing support for the development of this manuscript, under the direction of the authors, was provided by Yonnova Scientific Consultancy in accordance with Good Publication Practice guidelines.

Funding

The authors received no extramural funding for the study.

Data availability statement

The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors upon request.

Publisher’s note

The Publisher of the Journal remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Authors’ contributions

ZY conceptualized the work and performed data analysis and interpretation. YC collected data and drafted the manuscript. Both authors critically revised and approved the final version of the manuscript.

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