A novel and reproducible mouse model of spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury

Background: To apply the power of mice genetics to the study of spinal cord injury (SCI), improved small animal injury models are needed. We describe a novel ischemia/reperfusion murine model that is induced by spinal cord compression that can be reproduced effectively. Method: Mice were subjected to injury by placing a 10, 15, or 20 g weight on a 2 × 1 mm region of the cord at T12 for 5-15 min after laminectomy. The injury was monitored by mouse multimodality magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The effect of changing the orientation of a 15 g weight (7.5 g/mm2) to produce a narrow injury (with the long 2 mm axis of the weight parallel to the cord) to a transverse orientation markedly influenced resulting injury. Locomotor assessments were made using the mouse BBB (mBBB) and the transformed BBB (tBBB) scoring systems. Results: A weight of 7.5 g/mm2 produced moderate injury as assessed by MRI. A large fraction of mice with transverse injury exhibited autophagia with severe infection and required euthanasia. Mice with narrow injury did not display autophagia and had reproducible locomotor activity that was best assessed using the mBBB scoring system. Conclusion: Avoiding injury to the lateral elements of the cord that contain sensory fibers eliminates autophagia that can otherwise complicate the assessment of SCI in mice. The mBBB scale provides a precise measure of locomotor activity following SCI in mice. © 2006 Thomas Land Publishers, Inc.

Duke Scholars

Author Christopher Ignatius Shaffrey Orthopaedic Surgery