Theophylline treatment improves mitochondrial function after upper cervical spinal cord hemisection

The importance of mitochondria in spinal cord injury has mainly been attributed to their participation in apoptosis at the site of injury. But another aspect of mitochondrial function is the generation of more than 90% of cellular energy in the form of ATP, mediated by the oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) process. Cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) is a central OxPhos component and changes in its activity reflect changes in energy demand. A recent study suggests that respiratory muscle function in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients is compromised via alterations in mitochondrial function. In an animal model of cervical spinal cord hemisection (C2HS) respiratory dysfunction, we have shown that theophylline improves respiratory function. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that theophylline improves respiratory function at the cellular level via improved mitochondrial function in the C2HS model. We demonstrate that CcO activity was significantly (33%) increased in the spinal cord adjacent to the site of injury (C3-C5), and that administration of theophylline (20mg/kg 3x daily orally) after C2HS leads to an even more pronounced increase in CcO activity of 62% compared to sham-operated animals. These results are paralleled by a significant increase in cellular ATP levels (51% in the hemidiaphragm ipsilateral to the hemisection). We conclude that C2HS increases energy demand and activates mitochondrial respiration, and that theophylline treatment improves energy levels through activation of the mitochondrial OxPhos process to provide energy for tissue repair and functional recovery after paralysis in the C2HS model.