Neurorestorative effects of Batroxobin in early treatment on traumatic brain injury in rats

Objective To investigate the neurorestorative effects of Batroxobin on traumatic brain injury (TBI) in rats. Methods TBI model was induced by controlled cortical impact in adult male rats. Twenty young adult rats were randomly divided into two groups: saline-treated group (n=10) and Batroxobin-treated group (n=10). Thirty minutes after TBI, all rats were treated with Batroxobin (2 U/kg) q.d or saline q.d by caudal vein injection for 30 consecutive days. Sensorimotor function and spatial learning were assessed using modified neurological severity score (mNSS), beam balance test (BBT), beam walking test (BWT), Gridwalk test and the morris water maze test (MWMT), respectively. Results The mNSS at 7 days after surgery was (5.5±0.8) in Batroxobin group and (7.5±0.9) in saline group (P＜ 0.05). Balance latency in BBT at 14 days after surgery was (34.8±5.9) s for Batroxobin group and (19.2±4.2) s for saline group (P＜ 0.01). Escape latency in BWT at 7 days after surgery was (42.0±4.5) s for Batroxobin group and (53.1±5.1) s for saline group (P＜ 0.05). The percentage of forelimb foot faults in Gridwalk test at 7 days after surgery was (8.8%±1.9%) for Batroxobin group and (14.3%±2.1%) for saline group (P＜ 0.01). Escape latency in MWMT at 32 days after surgery was (30.3±2.5) s for Batroxobin group and (38.6±2.3) s for saline group (P＜ 0.05). Conclusion Our study demonstrate that early administration of Batroxobin significantly improves functional outcomes in rats with TBI for the first time, which indicates that Batroxobin has considerable therapeutic potential for patients with TBI.