Lupeol Protects Neuronal Injury Against Spinal Cord Injury in Rat Models via Targeting Nf-κB/NLRP3 Activation

Genbing Shi, Yujie Ma, Yongjia Jin, Zongyi Mo, Zhaogan Ren, Zhanqiang Hua and Luowen Wang

Background and Objective: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe traumatic disorder that threatens life and has long-term consequences, affecting a large number of people worldwide. Scientists have confirmed Lupeol’s involvement in a variety of ailments. The current research examines Lupeol’s efficacy in treating SCI in rats. Materials and Methods: This research split 30 animals into 3 groups: Sham, SCI (pentobarbital anesthesia at 35 mg/kg doses) and Lupeol (50 mg/kg p.o., for 21 days). Laminectomy was used to induce T9-T10 SCI in animals. After that, locomotor function in animals, pro-inflammatory cytokine analysis, spinal cord edema volume measurement, TUNEL labelling and western blot analysis were performed. Results: Lupeol was evaluated by measuring the Basso, Beattie, Bresnahan (BBB) score and spinal cord edema. The protein level of the inflammatory pathway in spinal tissue was quantified using western blot examination. Lupeol therapy substantially reduced the BBB score suppression caused by SCI (p<0.05). The SCI animals treated with Lupeol showed substantially reduced edema (p<0.01) compared to the model group. Lupeol significantly reduced cellular apoptosis in SCI animals. Lupeol therapy reduced SCI-induced IL-1β/-6/TNF-α upregulation. In Lupeol-treated animals, SCI-induced p-IκB suppression, Phosphorylated NF-κB (p-NF-κB) and Phosphorylated NLRP3 (p-NLRP3) upregulation were markedly reduced. Lupeol dramatically reduced caspase-1 and TLR4 in SCI animals. Conclusion: The study’s results demonstrate that administering Lupeol protects against damage to neurons and inflammation in animals with spinal cord injuries via controlling the NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway.

View Fulltext Back