High-dose ascorbic acid administration improves functional recovery in rats with spinal cord contusion injury

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of different doses of ascorbic acid (AA) on the functional performance of rats subjected to standardized spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods: Thirty female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups (10 animals in each group): control group: rats were subjected to SCI injury and received intraperitoneal saline administration; normal-dose AA group: rats were subjected to SCI injury and received daily intraperitoneal administration of AA at 100 mg kg(-1) bodyweight; high-dose AA group: rats were subjected to SCI injury and received daily intraperitoneal administration of AA at 200 mg kg(-1) bodyweight. The Basso, Beattie, Bresnahan Locomotor Rating Score (BBB score) and footprint analysis were performed to evaluate the functional performance of the rats in each group, and hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed to evaluate necrosis at the injury site. Results: At days 14 and 28 after SCI, rats in the high-dose AA group, but not the normal-dose AA group, exhibited significantly better BBB score compared with the control group (P<0.05). Compared with the control and normal-dose AA group, the high-dose AA group also showed increased stride length, decreased stride width and reduced toe dragging (P<0.05). Histological analysis revealed that both the normal-and high-dose AA groups had reduced necrosis in the injury site compared with the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: High-dose AA administration during the acute phase post SCI significantly reduced secondary injury-induced tissue necrosis and improved functional performance in rats.