Purpose: To investigate the activity of the aqueous root extract of
Salvia miltiorrhiza
(
S. miltiorrhiza)
(
Lamiaceae), collected from Anhui Province, China, for the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) in
Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats.
Methods: In total, 30 adult rats were selected and divided into three groups; normal control, untreated
and treated. Aqueous root extract of
S. miltiorrhiza was introduced intraperitoneally to the treated group.
Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan rating scale (BBB) was used to evaluate improvement in locomotor
activity after SCI. Total RNA was extracted from tissue sections using Sepasol (NacalaiTesque) and
RNA samples were reverse-transcribed using M-MLV reverse transcriptase. BioSense SC-810 Gel
Documentation System and Gel-Pro 3.1 software were employed for the analysis of band intensity.
Results: A significant reduction in SCI cavity area was observed in the
S. miltiorrhiza extract-treated
group, relative to the untreated group, after 11 days (0.10 ± 0.05 mm
2 treated vs. 0.30 ± 0.01 mm
2
untreated). Treatment with root extract also improved the BBB scores; the treated group scored 15,
compared to a score of 8 for the untreated group. In addition, the degradation of neurons at the site of
injury in the spinal cord was reduced in the treated group compared to the untreated group. Treatment
with
S. miltiorrhiza aqueous root extract also significantly increased the expression of platelet-derived
growth factor-B (PDGF-B) mRNA (p < 0.01).
Conclusion: These data suggest that, in addition to other pharmacological activities,
S. miltiorrhiza
extract has therapeutic potential for the treatment of neuronal degeneration following SCI.
