LONDON (Dispatches) -- An existing drug may reduce damage after spinal cord injury, by blocking the inflammatory response in the spinal cord, researchers report.
University of Birmingham researchers led by Professor Zubair Ahmed, Professor of Neuroscience and lead for the Neuroscience and Ophthalmology Section at the University’s Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, used animal models to show that AZD1236 can promote significant nerve regeneration, with a dramatic 80% preservation in nerve function following spinal cord compression injury. The drug developed by AstraZeneca, can significantly reduce ‘secondary damage’ caused by the body’s response to spinal cord injury (SCI).
The effects resulted after only three days of treatment with AZD1236, starting within 24 hours post-injury. Within three weeks, the AZD1236 treated animals showed unprecedented recovery, while controls still showed significant deficits at six weeks post-injury.
The researchers demonstrated that AZD1236 halts SCI-induced oedema, and reduces BSCB breakdown and scarring at the site of the injury. They also examined the effect of AZD1236 dosing on MMP-9 and MMP-12 activity in both the bloodstream and cerebrospinal fluid, which surrounds the spinal cord.