Experiments on white rats showed that sciatic nerve ligation induced the development of neuropathic pain syndrome: thermal pain threshold decreased, significant reduction in weight bearing of the injured limb, and degenerative changes in the foot tissues. Administration of docosahexaenoic acid reduces activity and duration neuropathic pain syndrome, promoted reversion of weight bearing asymmetry, and prevented the development of degenerative changes in the foot tissues.

One of the promising neuroprotective agents are drugs of polyunsaturated fatty acids, including docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) which has a proven ability to be metabolized into compounds that regulate inflammation and restore structural and metabolic integrity of nerve tissue after injury. Methods. Using male rats with the weight of about 250 g the researchers simulated spinal cord injury and then visually monitored the locomotor activity according to vegetative function restorability scale (VVV scale). Part of the test animals have been injected DHA emulsion (subdermally in a dose of 45 mg/kg) for 3 weeks. After 5 weeks the scholars took the animals out of the experience and performed a morphological study of the spinal cord. Results. Hind limb locomotor activity after taking DHA recovered significantly better. Restoration of vegetative functions was observed at the average on the ninth day after injury. Morphological state of post-traumatic defect zone and adjacent areas indicated that the recovery of functions in the animals treated with DHA could be defined by the drug ability to modulate post-traumatic degenerative and regenerative processes. Conclusions. The experimental results indicate that the use of DHA contributes to the development of a number of metabolic and cellular processes that lead to better recovery of motor function in the animals with spinal cord injury.

Манжуло Игорь Викторович – м.н.с. центральной научно‐исследо‐ вательской лаборатории ТГМУ; e‐mail: i‐manzhulo@bk.ru NEUROPROtECtIvE ACtION OF DOCOsAhExAENOIC ACID IN thE sIMULAtION OF COMPREssION sPINAL CORD INJURy O.S. Ogurtsova, I.V. Manzhulo, N.A. Latyshev, S.P. Kasyanov, I.V. Dyuyzen Pacific State Medical University (2 Ostryakova Ave. Vladivostok 690950 Russian Federation), Institute of Marine Biology named after A.V. Zhirmunskiy FEB RAS (17 Palchevskogo St. Vladivostok 690041 Russian Federation) background. One of the promising neuroprotective agents are drugs of polyunsaturated fatty acids, including docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) which has a proven ability to be metabolized into com‐ pounds that regulate inflammation and restore structural and meta‐ bolic integrity of nerve tissue after injury. Methods. Using male rats with the weight of about 250 g the re‐ searchers simulated spinal cord injury and then visually monitored the locomotor activity according to vegetative function restorability scale (VVV scale). Part of the test animals have been injected DHA emulsion (subdermally in a dose of 45 mg/kg) for 3 weeks. After 5 weeks the scholars took the animals out of the experience and per‐ formed a morphological study of the spinal cord. Results. Hind limb locomotor activity after taking DHA recovered significantly better. Restoration of vegetative functions was ob‐ served at the average on the ninth day after injury. Morphological state of post‐traumatic defect zone and adjacent areas indicated that the recovery of functions in the animals treated with DHA could be defined by the drug ability to modulate post‐traumatic degenera‐ tive and regenerative processes. Conclusions. The experimental results indicate that the use of DHA contributes to the development of a number of metabolic and cel‐ lular processes that lead to better recovery of motor function in the animals with spinal cord injury.

The experiment on white rats confirms that the sciatic nerve ligation causes neuropathic pain syndrome characterised by a decrease in the temperature pain threshold, uneven weight distribution on hind-limbs, and dystrophic changes in foot tissues. Depending on dose used to treat animals with sciatic nerve injury, the docosahexaenoic acid reduces the intensity and period of neuropathic pain syndrome and allows earlier stabilisation of weight distribution, thus hindering the dystrophic changes in foot tissues.