Combined Treatment with Minocycline and Methylprednisolone in Acute Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study

Objective: This randomized clinical trial (RCT) aimed to compare the neurologic outcomes of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients treated with Minocycline plus methylprednisolone (MCMP) versus MP (Methylprednisolone) alone.Methods: This double-blind, single-center parallel RCT study was conducted in a community-based setting from 2022 to 2023 on consecutive patients with acute SCI within 12 h of injury. The intervention group (MPMC) received a bolus infusion of MP 30 mg/kg in 15 min intravenously, followed by a 5.4 mg/kg infusion of MP for 24-48 h and 50 mg Minocycline orally every 12 h for one week. The control group received the same amount of MP alone. Neurologic exam according to the Frankel Grading System compared two groups.Results: A total of 54 patients completed the 6-month follow-up with a mean age of 42.5 and 41.5 in the MP (n = 27) and MPMC (n = 27) groups, respectively. The Baseline Frankel score was similar between the two groups (P = 0.92). During the follow-up period, 7.4 % and 22.2 % of the MP and MPMC groups improved to the Frankel score of D and E in the three months but insignificant between the groups (OR: 1.34, 95 % CI: 0.997-1.813, P = 0.052). At the 6-month follow-up, 33.3 % and 48.1 % of patients in MP and MPMC groups improved to Frankel scores D and E, respectively, which was significant in the mixed-effect analysis (OR: 1.45, 95 % CI: 1.074-1.952, P = 0.015).Conclusion: Combination therapy with Minocycline and MP might be more effective in improving neurological recovery and reducing inflammation and tissue damage in SCI patients in the short term.