J Korean Neurosurg Soc.  2018 Sep;61(5):539-547. 10.3340/jkns.2017.0276.

Review of the UBC Porcine Model of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

• Kim KT
• Streijger
• Manouchehri N
• So K
• Shortt K
• Okon EB
• Tigchelaar S
• Cripton P
• Kwon BK

• KMID: 2420061
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3340/jkns.2017.0276

Abstract

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) research has recently focused on the use of rat and mouse models for in vivo SCI experiments. Such small rodent SCI models are invaluable for the field, and much has been discovered about the biologic and physiologic aspects of SCI from these models. It has been difficult, however, to reproduce the efficacy of treatments found to produce neurologic benefits in rodent SCI models when these treatments are tested in human clinical trials. A large animal model may have advantages for translational research where anatomical, physiological, or genetic similarities to humans may be more relevant for pre-clinically evaluating novel therapies. Here, we review the work carried out at the University of British Columbia (UBC) on a large animal model of SCI that utilizes Yucatan miniature pigs. The UBC porcine model of SCI may be a useful intermediary in the pre-clinical testing of novel pharmacological treatments, cell-based therapies, and the "bedside back to bench" translation of human clinical observations, which require preclinical testing in an applicable animal model.

Keyword

Spinal cord injuries; Porcine model; Translational medical research; Preclinical testing

MeSH Terms

Animals
British Columbia
Humans
Mice
Models, Animal
Rats
Rodentia
Spinal Cord Injuries*
Spinal Cord*
Swine
Translational Medical Research

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Axial image from magnetic resonance imaging. Left to right, Sprague-Dawley rat, Yucatan miniature pig, and human at T10. The width of the porcine spinal cord is close to a human spinal cord and a prominent layer of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) surrounds the porcine and human spinal cord. The transverse diameter of the rat, pig, and human spinal cord on these sections are 3.2, 7.0, and 8.3 mm, respectively. Scale bar=10 mm.

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  Fig. 2. The pig in prone position on the surgical table. Standard monitoring is performed for heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, end tidal carbon dioxide, inspired and expired isoflurane levels, and oxygen saturation.

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  Fig. 3. Weight drop impactor devices. This system provides a mechanism to induce a contusion with compression injury, the most commonly observed type of injury in human SCI patients. A and B : The individual components of the injury device: guide rail, position sensor, trigger system, weight drop with force sensing cylindrical tip, static weight and an articulating fixation arm. C : Impactor mounted on the animals after weight drop injury. After the 50 g weight drop an additional 100 g static weight is applied for the determined period of time.

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  Fig. 4. For the measurement of the white and gray matter preserved areas, a series of cross-sections were stained with Eriochrome cyanide. The spared white matter was defined as a region showing dense blue staining. The preserved gray matter is defined by the color of the stain (×20) and the shape. We defined uninjured gray matter as tissue containing normal gray matter cytoarchitecture with visible neutral red staining speck.

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  Fig. 5. Microdialysis can be used for evaluating the metabolic changes after spinal cord injury. After laminectomy, probes are inserted into the spinal cord through the dura using customized guide cannulae (A). The microdialysis probe is placed at the center, with the oxygenation and blood flow sensor to the right and the pressure sensor to the left. Probes are inserted into the spinal cord at a 45-degree angle (B) and the probe tips end 0.17 and 2.17 cm from the injury epicenter.

Reference

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