Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate protective effects of resveratrol (an antioxidant) alone and in combination with
LG-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester (L-NAME), a nitric oxide synthase [NOS] inhibitor, against spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury in
an experimental rabbit model.
Materials and methods: Twenty-four rabbits were used in the study. The study was conducted on 24 rabbits assigned into four groups as
follows: Group 1, sham group; Group 2, control group; Group 3, resveratrol group; and Group 4, resveratrol + L-NAME group. The blood
samples were drawn before abdominal exposure and at 48 h. Resveratrol 10 mg/kg and L-NAME 3 mg/kg were given to the test subjects.
The animals were sacrificed after neurological assessment at 48 h, and spinal cord tissues were removed for histopathological examination.
Results: No significant difference was observed in biochemical analyses, while there were significant differences in neurological and histopathological examination results among the groups. The highest functional neurological improvement (as assessed by Tarlov score:
4.5±0.57) was observed in the resveratrol + L-NAME group (p

Key words: Ischemia, reperfusion, resveratrol, spinal cord.