Abstract: Objective To investigate the effects of chondroitinase ABC injection on motor and acetylcholinestarase (AchE) expressed inthe motor end-plate of gastrocnemius in adult rats with spinal cord injury. Methods The spinal cords in T10 of 40 male Wistar rats (10 weeksold) were exposed and the right sites were semi-transected. The left sites were considered as the control (group A), the transected sites wereas the injured group (group B) and chondroitinase ABC-treated group (group C). The rats were assessed with Basso, Beattie & Bresnahan(BBB) score for ethological test, and sacrificed 3 d, 7 d, 14 d and 28 d after operation. The AchE expressed in gastrocnemius was detectedwith zymochemistry staining. Results BBB score in group C was significant higher than that in group B 14~28 d after operation, while theAchE activity in group B and C was lower than that in group A (P<0.05), and lower in group B than in group C (P<0.05). Conclusion ChondroitinaseABC injection can enhance AchE activity and promote the locomotor recovery after spinal cord injury in adult rats.

Key words: spinal cord injury, chondroitinase, Basso, Beattie &, Bresnahan score, acetylcholinestarase, rats