Objective: To detect the expression levels of Th1/Th2 cytokines in the acute injury of brain and spinal cord in rats, and explore their possible roles in sustained secondary injury.
Methods: The acute brain and spinal cord injury models in SD rats were established and randomly divided into injury group and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment group, and each group was experimentally intervened in the brain and spinal cord, respectively. The mRNA of Th1/Th2 cytokines were determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and analyzed in correlation.
Results: Compared with the control group, in injury and LPS treatment groups, the level of IFN-γ (as a Th1 associated cytokine) in brain tissue significantly increased (P<0.05), while the expression of T-bet did not significantly change; in spinal cord, the levels of IFN-γ and transcription factors T-bet, HLX rose significantly (P<0.05). The cytokine IL-4 and transcription factor GATA3 in both injury and LPS treatment groups were as low as those in the control group.
Conclusion: The expressions of Th1 associated cytokines, especially soluble cytokine IFN-γ, increased in brain and spinal cord injury. The up-regulated T-bet and HLX expressions were only observed in spinal injury.