Evaluation of the combined therapeutic effect of methylprednisolone and cerebrolysin in traumatic medullar lesion

Abstract

Objectives: The pharmacological effects of Methylprednisolone and Cerebrolysin have been extensively debated, but from our knowledge there are no studies to evaluate the association of these two drugs in spinal cord injury (SCI).
Methods: Twenty-four Wistar rats underwent traumatic spinal cord injury by using clip-compression model. The animals were divided into four groups: group I received Methylprednisolone (MP); group II was injected with Cerebrolysin (C); group III received Methylprednisolone together with Cerebrolysin (MP+C); in the control group we have performed only decompression. The motor recovery of the animals was evaluated using the Ferguson et al. modification of the BBB scale. After ten days the rats were sacrificed. 
Results: The study demonstrated that the MP + C group presented the most notable recovery of the motor function, but no statistically significant (p>0,05). The first and the second group also presented better results than the fourth group, but the enhanced recovery of those group relative to control group was not statistically significant (p>0,05) 
Conclusion: The combination of MP and Cerebrolysin in experimental conditions seems to have promising results, but more experimental and clinical studies are necessary to evaluate the real benefit for SCI patients.