Motor, sensitive, and vegetative recovery in rats with compressive spinal-cord injury after combined treatment with erythropoietin and whole-body vibration.

Background: Physical therapy with whole body vibration (WBV) following compressive spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats restores density of perisomatic synapses, improves body weight support and leads to a better bladder function. The purpose of the study was to determine whether the combined treatment with WBV plus erythropoietin (EPO) would further improve motor, sensory and vegetative functions after SCI in rats.

Methods: Severe compressive SCI at low thoracic level was followed by a single i.p. injection of 2,5μg (250 IU) human recombinant EPO. Physical therapy with WBV started on 14th day after injury and continued over a 12-week post injury period. Locomotor recovery, sensitivity tests and urinary bladder scores were analysed at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 weeks after SCI. The closing morphological measurements included lesion volume and numbers of axons in the preserved perilesional neural tissue bridges (PNTB).

Results: Assessment of motor performance sensitivity and bladder function revealed no significant effects of EPO when compared to the control treatments. EPO treatment neither reduced the lesion volume, nor increased the number of axons in PNTB.

Conclusions: The combination of WBV + EPO exerts no positive effects on hind limbs motor performance and bladder function after compressive SCI in rats.