Role of Melatonin in Traumatic Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Injury

Table 1

Proposed neuroprotective therapies for TBI and SCI in rodent models.

Model	Nutraceuticals	Dose	Results/effects
TBI
(1) Mice	Minocycline	90 mg/kg at 5 min, 45 mg/kg at 3 h and 9 h after TBI.	Minocycline was able to attenuate the memory impairment in an effective and lasting manner [24].
(2) Mice	Minozac	5 mg/kg	Minozac attenuates acute increase in proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine levels and reduces astrocyte activation and the longer term neurologic injury [25].
(3) Rat	(−)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate	0.1% (w/v) in drinking water	EGCG exposure before and after TBI decreased DNA damage and LPO levels and neuronal cell and NSC apoptosis around the damaged area following TBI at 1 day, 4 days, and 7 days [26].
(4) Rat	Alpha lipoic acid	100 mg/kg, p.o.	It reduced LPO, suppressing the MPO enzyme activity increased, Na^+, K^+-ATPase activity. It reduces edema formation and reduces BBB permeability and thereby preserves neuronal damage [20].
(5) Rat	Caffeic acid phenethyl ester	10 μmol/kg	Decreased the elevated MDA levels, also significantly increased the reduced antioxidant enzyme SOD and GPx activities, reduced the immunoreactivity of degenerating neurons, and inhibited apoptotic cell death by downregulating caspase 3 [27].
SCI
(1) Mice	Green tea extract	25 mg/kg, i.p.	Reduced upregulation of TNF-α or IL-1β, suppresses NF-κβ activation, and attenuates the expression of iNOS, nitrotyrosine, and poli (ADP-ribosio) synthetase (PARS) and neutrophilic infiltration was markedly reduced and ameliorated the recovery of limb function [28].
(2) Rat	Quercetin in combination with methylprednisolone (MP) and specific p38MAPK inhibitor SB203580.	0.2 mg/kg per day	Inhibited increases in phosphorylated-p38MAPK (p-p38MAPK) and iNOS expression and reduced the rate of iNOS-positive cells in rats with SCI, reduced MDA content, and increased SOD activity in SCI rats [29].
(3) Rat	Melatonin was administered in combination with exercise.	10 mg/kg	Significant increase in hind limb movement, reducing NO production and motor neuron degeneration, reduced level of iNOS mRNA [30].
(4) Rat	17β-Estradiol	100, 300, or 600 μg/kg	Reduced oligodendrocyte cell death via inhibition of RhoA and JNK3 activation and axon loss [31].