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Updated: May 31, 2026
A Contusion Model of Severe Spinal Cord Injury in Rats
Published on: August 17, 2013
[Expression of bone morphogenetic protein receptor IA in rats after contusive spinal cord injury]
Hua-feng Li1, Xing-hua Jiang, Ding-quan Zou
1Laboratory of disease and development, Key Laboratory of Obstetric & Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of Ministry of Education, West China Institute of Women and Children's Health, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China. lihuafeng2005@hotmail.com
Objective:
To observe the expression pattern of bone morphogenetic protein receptor IA (BMPR IA) in rats after contusive spinal cord injury.
Methods:
The expressions of BMPR IA, IB, and II were detected by immunochemistry in the spinal cord of normal adult rats, and the expression of BMPR IA was detected in the infinite horizons impactor model at 1, 3, 7, 14, 30, and 60 days after spinal cord injury.
Results:
In the spinal cord of normal adult rats, BMPR IA and II were expressed predominantly in the oligodentrocytes and neurons in the grey matter, and also in some astrocytes and numerous microglia cells. Only a low level of BMPR IB expression was detected in the neurons of the grey matter. After spinal cord injury, the expression of BMP IA markedly increased with sustained strong expression in the astrocytes till one month after the injury; its expression was also increased obviously in the microglia cells activated by the injury.
Conclusion:
The expression of BMPR IA increases significantly in the astrocytes and activated microglia cells in rats after contusive spinal cord injury, suggesting the involvement of BMP signaling pathway in the physiological and pathological role of glia cells.
