Improving the microenvironment of lesioned spinal cord to minimize the secondary injury is one important strategy to treat spinal cord injury (SCI). The ensuing hemorrhage after SCI has tight connection with ferroptosis. This study investigated the effects of proanthocyanidins (PACs) on SCI repair and the underlying mechanisms. Adult female mice were divided into four groups, including sham, SCI, PACs5 and PACs10 (i.p. 5 and 10 mg/kg PACs after SCI respectively). The impacts of SCI and PACs treatment on redox parameters (iron contents, TBARS, GSH, and GPX activities) and ferroptosis essential factors such as ACSL4, LPCAT3, Alox15B, Nrf2, HO-1, GPX4 were investigated. The results demonstrated that PACs treatment significantly decreased the levels of iron, TBARS, ACSL4, and Alox15B, while increased the levels of GSH, GPX4, Nrf2, and HO-1 in traumatic spinal cords. Above all, PACs improved the locomotive function of SCI mice. These results suggest that PACs might be potential therapeutics for SCI repair by inhibiting ferroptosis in SCI.

中文翻译：

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原花青素通过抑制铁死亡促进脊髓损伤的功能恢复

改善受损脊髓的微环境以最大程度地减少继发性损伤是治疗脊髓损伤 (SCI) 的重要策略之一。SCI后随之而来的出血与铁死亡密切相关。本研究调查了原花青素 (PAC) 对 SCI 修复的影响及其潜在机制。成年雌性小鼠分为四组，包括假手术、SCI、PACs5 和 PACs10（SCI 后分别 ip 5 和 10 mg/kg PACs）。研究了 SCI 和 PAC 处理对氧化还原参数（铁含量、TBARS、GSH 和 GPX 活性）和铁死亡必需因素（如 ACSL4、LPCAT3、Alox15B、Nrf2、HO-1、GPX4）的影响。结果表明，PACs 处理显着降低了铁、TBARS、ACSL4 和 Alox15B 的水平，同时增加了 GSH、GPX4、Nrf2、和 HO-1 在创伤性脊髓中。最重要的是，PACs 改善了 SCI 小鼠的运动功能。这些结果表明，PACs 可能通过抑制 SCI 中的铁死亡而成为 SCI 修复的潜在疗法。