Effects of the combined administration of vitamins C and E on the oxidative stress status and programmed cell death pathways after experimental spinal cord injury

Experimental, controlled, animal study. To assess the effects of vitamins C and E (VCE) treatment on oxidative stress and programmed cell deaths after rat spinal cord injury (SCI), as well as functional recovery. Taiwan. Fifty-four Sprague–Dawley rats were used for the experimental procedure. In the sham group, laminectomy at T10 was performed, followed by impactor contusion of the spinal cord. In the control group, only a laminectomy was performed without contusion. Oxidative stress status was assessed by measuring the spinal cord tissue content of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and gluthatione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities. We also evaluated the effects of combined VCE treatment using western blot to analyze expression of cleaved caspase-3 and microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3), and the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) scale to evaluate functional outcomes. Combined treatment of VCE significantly counteracted the effects of spinal cord contusion on oxidative stress represented by activities of SOD and GSH-Px (P