Thalidomide fails to be therapeutic following contusive spinal cord injury in rats

Mechanical damage to the spinal cord (SC) generates self-destructive processes that contribute to post-traumatic neurodegeneration. Because thalidomide apparently counteracts these effects its use clinically has been proposed enthusiastically. Nonetheless, we tested its action as a neuroprotectant in a clinically relevant model of SC injury in rats. We administered thalidomide intraperitoneally to rats subjected to thoracic SC contusion as single or repeated doses within the first 24 h after injury. Edema, neutrophil infiltration, and cord tissue preservation/destruction were assessed in the SC 24 h after injury and motor function for 7 weeks. Rats treated with thalidomide showed significant increase in SC water compared with naive rats, but not vehicle-treated rats; their neutrophil infiltration and amount of spared/destroyed cord tissue was not different from vehicle-treated rats; and in no case was motor performance improved after thalidomide. In conclusion, thalidomide failed here to be therapeutic, discouraging its use clinically for SC trauma.