The dynamics of the expression of the neuronal NO-synthase and microglia activity in the spinal centers of pain modulation were studied on the ligated rat sciatic nerve. The development of neuropathic pain causes an increase in the activity of neuronal NO-synthase and the iba-1-positive microglia in the spinal ganglia and the surface laminae of the posterior horn of the spinal cord, which dynamically corresponds to the severity of pain. At the same time, the dynamics of NO-ergic activity are parallel with the activation of microglia in these brain structures. Thus, we cannot exclude the direct inter-modulating effects of spinal microglia and NO-ergic nociceptive neurons.

Methods. In the serum of 20 patients with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and chronic hepatitis C virus protein concentration was determined S100, GFAP and NSE. Results. The level of S100 in serum in hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome has been raised 13 times; the concentration of GFAP did not differ from the control values, the content of NSE in 11 cases was increased by 5 times. S100 and GFAP levels in the serum of patients with chronic hepatitis C were close to normal values; the content of NSE in 11 patients was increased by 3 times. Conclusions. The presence of violations of the permeability of the blood-brain barrier, and neuropathology, possibly vascular and autoimmune origin that involves the cells of the neuroendocrine system in the pathogenesis of encephalopathy in hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and chronic hepatitis C virus.

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.

We studied the time course of changes in neurochemical modifications in neurons and glial cells of the ventromedial reticular formation of the rat brainstem during the development of acute inflammatory pain. The development of the pain response was associated with a twofold increase in the number of neurons that expressed NADPH diaphorase in the ventromedial reticular formation as compared to the norm. At 2 hours after the development of the pain response, we observed an increase in the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive elements, which was 1.5 times higher as compared to the norm. The development of acute pain was also associated with a glial response in the nucleus: the activity of mature astrocytes increased by a factor of 1.9 whereas the area of immunohistochemically stained microglia decreased by a factor of 7.6 compared to the norm. The results of our study demonstrate that development of the acute-pain response is related to the activation of both neurons and glial cells of the ventromedial nucleus of the reticular formation.