New simple design to completely stabilize the spine with impactor for rat contusion spinal cord models

Evaluating the effectiveness of the treatment method is possible when the model has been closer to reality. In experiments that need fixation of the spinal cord, the conventional method is to suspend the rostral and caudal spine via clamps attached to spinous processes. However, the slip and displacement of the spinal cord were high, which can significantly influence the model's outcome. So, this study aims to introduce a new design to stabilize the vertebra completely for the rat spinal cord injury (SCI) model.

Twenty-three female Sprague Dawley rats randomly were assigned to control (intact spinal cord), unstabilized-SCI, and stabilized-SCI groups. Functional recovery was assessed using the Basso Beattie Bresnahan (BBB) test for four weeks. The success rate of the moderate model was calculated based on BBB score in the 7-days post-injury Then, the spinal cords were evaluated by Luxol Fast Blue and Hematoxylin-Eosin (LFB/HE) staining to show lesion morphology

The BBB score of the stabilized-SCI indicated moderate SCI that had a significant difference (P<0.05) compared to the unstabilized-SCI which showed nonmoderate SCI. The success rate of the moderate model in stabilized-SCI was 80%, whereas in the unstabilized-SCI method was 30%. The LFB/HE staining in stabilized-SCI showed the epicenter's rostral and caudal lesions demyelination. In contrast, in the unstabilized-SCI, demyelination was detected in the lesion site, and the rostral and caudal spinal columns were intact.

The introduced device could make consistent functional deficits and was able to make an effective force to perform the spinal cord injury.