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Updated: Apr 25, 2026
Short-Duration Hypothermia Induction in Rats using Models for Studies examining Clinical Relevance and Mechanisms
Published on: March 3, 2021
Neuroprotective effect of epidural hypothermia after spinal cord lesion in rats
Marcello Oliveira Barbosa1, Alexandre Fogaça Cristante2, Gustavo Bispo Dos Santos3
1Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Hospital das Forças Armadas (HFA), Brasília, DF, Brazil.
Objectives:
To evaluate the neuroprotective effect of epidural hypothermia in rats subjected to experimental spinal cord lesion.
Methods:
Wistar rats (n = 30) weighing 320-360 g were randomized to two groups (hypothermia and control) of 15 rats per group. A spinal cord lesion was induced by the standardized drop of a 10-g weight from a height of 2.5 cm, using the New York University Impactor, after laminectomy at the T9-10 level. Rats in the hypothermia group underwent epidural hypothermia for 20 minutes immediately after spinal cord injury. Motor function was assessed for six weeks using the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan motor scores and the inclined plane test. At the end of the final week, the rats' neurological status was monitored by the motor evoked potential test and the results for the two groups were compared.
Results:
Analysis of the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan scores obtained during the six-week period indicated that there were no significant differences between the two groups. There was no significant difference between the groups in the inclined plane test scores during the six-week period. Furthermore, at the end of the study, the latency and amplitude values of the motor evoked potential test were not significantly different between the two groups.
Conclusion:
Hypothermia did not produce a neuroprotective effect when applied at the injury level and in the epidural space immediately after induction of a spinal cord contusion in Wistar rats.
