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Introduction:Some studies have made use of the antioxidative capabilities of high doses of vitamins C and E with the aim of neutralizing the noxious effects of free radicals following spinal cord lesion.Objectives:To evaluate the effects of vitamins C and E, separately and together, on the functional performance of rats that were subjected to standardized spinal cord contusion.Materials and methods:Forty male Wistar rats were used, divided into four groups of 10 animals each. Group 3 received vitamin C 100 mg kg−1 day−1 intraperitoneally; Group 2 received vitamin E 100 mg kg−1 day−1 orally; Group 1 received vitamins C and E, at the same dosages; and Group 4 was the control. The vitamin therapy was administered for 1 month and then the animals were killed. A direct contusional injury was caused and functional evaluation was performed using the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan rating scale. The rats were evaluated on the second postoperative day and weekly thereafter, until the end of the experiment.Results:The results were evaluated by means of the one-tailed, non-paired and non-parametric Mann-Whitney test, comparing the groups two by two. No significant difference in functional performance was observed between the groups.Conclusion:The use of vitamins C and E in these rats did not improve their neurological performance. However, histopathological examination showed that the inflammatory response was less intense following administration of the combination of vitamins C and E.Spinal Cord (2009) 47, 458–463; doi:10.1038/sc.2008.155; published online 9 December 2008 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]