Objectivization study of acupuncture Deqi and brain modulation mechanisms: a review.

Deqi is an important prerequisite for acupuncture to achieve optimal efficacy. Chinese medicine has long been concerned with the relationship between Deqi and the clinical efficacy of acupuncture. However, the underlying mechanisms of Deqi are complex and there is a lack of systematic summaries of objective quantitative studies of Deqi. Acupuncture Deqi can achieve the purpose of treating diseases by regulating the interaction of local and neighboring acupoints, brain centers, and target organs. At local and neighboring acupoints, Deqi can change their tissue structure, temperature, blood perfusion, energy metabolism, and electrophysiological indicators. At the central brain level, Deqi can activate the brain regions of the thalamus, parahippocampal gyrus, postcentral gyrus, insular, middle temporal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, etc. It also has extensive effects on the limbic-paralimbic-neocortical-network and default mode network. The brain mechanisms of Deqi vary depending on the acupuncture techniques and points chosen. In addition, Deqi 's mechanism of action involves correcting abnormalities in target organs. The mechanisms of acupuncture Deqi are multi-targeted and multi-layered. The biological mechanisms of Deqi are closely related to brain centers. This study will help to explore the mechanism of Deqi from a local-central-target-organ perspective and provide information for future clinical decision-making.

Efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine children's Zibei Xuanfei syrup in treating acute trachea-bronchitis with wind-heat invading lung syndrome: A randomized, double-blind, multicentre, controlled trial.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Children's Zibei Xuanfei syrup is an herbal preparation from a lifetime professor, famous old Chinese doctor, and postgraduate supervisor of medical doctor of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This herbal preparation promotes lung health, relieves cough, reduces phlegm, and benefits pharynx. AIM OF THE STUDY: To verify the clinical efficacy and safety of Zibei Xuanfei syrup for children in treatment of acute trachea bronchitis with wind-heat invading lung syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was an age-stratified, block randomized, double-blind, extremely low dose parallel control, multi-center clinical trial. A total of 453 pediatric patients diagnosed with acute tracheal bronchitis in Western medicine and cough due to exogenous factors with wind-heat invading lung syndrome in Chinese medicine were enrolled. They were divided into three subgroups based on age 1∼3, 4-7, and 8-14 years old, and randomly assigned to children's Zibei Xuanfei syrup and extremely low doses of children's Zibei Xuanfei syrup (control) in a 3:1 ratio. The primary outcome was the decreased values of cough Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score after 7 days of administration. Secondary outcomes included a decrease in cough VAS score after 3 and 5 days of the administration, and the total score of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) syndrome after 3, 5, and 7 days of treatment. The chest X-ray and blood C-reactive protein were examined during screening. The safety assessment included blood urine, and stool routine, liver and kidney function of laboratory tests, and an electrocardiogram at the screening and the last visit. RESULTS: The subjects of two groups had high administration adherence (completion over 80%) (299/323, 92.6% in children's Zibei Xuanfei syrup group vs 103/107, 96.3% in the control group; p > 0.05). The children's Zibei Xuanfei syrup group was significantly better than the control group in the decreased values of cough VAS score after 7 days of administration(6.35 ± 3.45 vs 3.73 ± 3.98, p < 0.001). The subgroup analysis of the decreased value of cough VAS scores aged 1-3 years old were 5.80 ± 3.43 vs 3.75 ± 4.38 (P = 0.003), 4-7 years old was 6.30 ± 3.69 vs 2.73 ± 3.65 (P < 0.001), and 8-14 years old were 6.91 ± 3.12 vs 4.69 ± 3.75(P = 0.001)respectively. The secondary outcomes decrease values of cough VAS score of children's Zibei Xuanfei syrup group vs control group after 5 days of administration were 5.88 ± 2.90 vs 3.55 ± 3.41(P < 0.001), after 3 days of administration were 3.61 ± 2.53 vs 2.43 ± 2.56 (P < 0.001). The effective rate of the TCM symptom total score of children's Zibei Xuanfei syrup group vs control group was 91.38% vs 54.95%after 7 days of the administration, 86.93% vs 50.94% after 5 days of the administration, and 64.78% vs 40.19% after 3 days administration(each p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in Adverse Event between the two groups (59/331, 17.82% vs 15/111, 13.51%, P > 0.05). The children's Zibei Xuanfei syrup group had 5 Serious Adverse Events (incidence rate 1.21%), all of which were unrelated to the trial drug. CONCLUSION: Children's Zibei Xuanfei syrup appears to be extremely effective and safe in the treatment of acute trachea bronchitis with wind-heat invading lung syndrome. Future studies with large sample sizes will need to collect more safety data use for children.

TRPP2 ion channels: The roles in various subcellular locations.

TRPP2 (PC2, PKD2 or Polycytin-2), encoded by PKD2 gene, belongs to the nonselective cation channel TRP family. Recently, the three-dimensional structure of TRPP2 was constructed. TRPP2 mainly functions in three subcellular compartments: endoplasmic reticulum, plasma membrane and primary cilia. TRPP2 can act as a calcium-activated intracellular calcium release channel on the endoplasmic reticulum. TRPP2 also interacts with other Ca2+ release channels to regulate calcium release, like IP3R and RyR2. TRPP2 acts as an ion channel regulated by epidermal growth factor through activation of downstream factors in the plasma membrane. TRPP2 binding to TRPC1 in the plasma membrane or endoplasmic reticulum is associated with mechanosensitivity. In cilium, TRPP2 was found to combine with PKD1 and TRPV4 to form a complex related to mechanosensitivity. Because TRPP2 is involved in regulating intracellular ion concentration, TRPP2 mutations often lead to autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, which may also be associated with cardiovascular disease. In this paper, we review the molecular structure of TRPP2, the subcellular localization of TRPP2, the related functions and mechanisms of TRPP2 at different sites, and the diseases related to TRPP2.

Effect of Jiuwei Zhuhuang Powder on Cough Resolution in Children with Upper Respiratory Tract Infections: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of Jiuwei Zhuhuang Powder (JWZH), a Tibetan patent medicine in treating upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) associated cough in children. METHODS: The study was a multicenter, randomized, open-label, controlled trial. A total of 142 children aged 2 to 14 years old, with URTI-associated cough within 48 h of onset, were randomly assigned to two groups at a 1:1 ratio by computer-generated randomization sequence. Children were treated with JWZH (1 to 1.5 g, twice to thrice daily) in the treatment group or conventional treatment (Pediatric Paracetamol, Artificial Cow-bezoar and Chlorphenamine Maleate Granules, 0.25 to 1 g, thrice daily) in the control group for 5 days. The primary endpoints were the time to cough resolution and 4-day cough resolution rate. The secondary endpoints were the daily improvement in symptom scores and cough resolution rate during the study period. RESULTS: A total of 138 children were included in the intention-to-treat analysis, with 71 cases in the treatment group and 67 cases in the control group. Compared with the conventional treatment, the children receiving JWZH had a shorter time to cough resolution [hazard ratio, 2.10; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.29-3.40; P=0.003]. The median time to cough resolution for children receiving JWZH was shorter than that of the conventional treatment (2 days vs. 3 days; P<0.001). The 4-day cough resolution rate in the JWZH group was higher than that of the control group (94.4% vs. 74.6%; risk difference: 19.8%, 95% CI: 8.1%-31.5%; relative risk: 1.265, 95% CI: 1.088-1.470; P=0.001). There were no statistically significant differences in the improvement of other symptoms caused by URTI (P>0.05). Adverse events was reported in 5.6% (4/71) and 4.5% (3/67) in participants of JWZH and PPACCM groups (P>0.05), respectively, which were all mild and resolved without treatment. CONCLUSION: JWZH seemed to be a safe and effective therapy for URTI-associated cough in children. (Trial registration No. ChiCTR2000039421).

Selective C-F Bond Allylation of Trifluoromethylalkenes.

Selective C-F bond functionalization of CF3 group represents an appealing strategy for the incorporation of pharmaceutically privileged difluoromethylene moiety. Despite the recent significant advancement attained in the functionalization of Ar-CF3 molecules, prescriptions amenable for alkenyl-CF3 congeners remain sufficiently inadequate. Herein, we report a strategically novel protocol for the C-F bond elaboration of trifluoromethylalkene derivatives. By using readily available allyl metallics as nucleophilic coupling partner, the present reaction enables an expedient construction of structurally diversified CF2 -bridged 1,5-dienes. Furthermore, the exquisite selectivity observed in this transformation is revealed to be based on the underlying mechanism that consists of a cascade of nucleophilic SN 2' defluorinative allylation and electronically promoted Cope rearrangement.

Evidence for an Interaction Between NEDD4 and Childhood Trauma on Clinical Characters of Schizophrenia With Family History of Psychosis.

Background: Neural precursor cell-expressed developmentally downregulated 4 (NEDD4) polymorphisms and childhood trauma (CT) are associated with schizophrenia. However, whether NEDD4 interacts with CT on symptoms of schizophrenia remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the gene-environment interaction effect. Methods: We recruited 289 schizophrenia patients and 487 controls and genotyped rs2303579, rs3088077, rs7162435, rs11550869, and rs62043855 in their NEDD4 gene. Results: We found significant differences in the rs2303579 and rs3088077 between the two groups. Patients with the rs2303579 CC genotype had higher scores compared with other genotype (P = 0.026) in the test of positive schizophrenia syndrome scores, whereas patients with the rs3088077 TT (P = 0.037) and rs7162435 CC genotypes (P = 0.009) had higher scores compared with the other genotypes in the test of excitement factor. Patients with a family history of psychosis (FH+) reported higher negative scores (P = 0.012) than those without. Patients exposed to physical abuse (PA) reported a lower language learning and memory score (P = 0.017) and working memory score (P = 0.047) than those not. Patients exposed to sexual abuse (SA) reported a lower reasoning and problem-solving skills score (P = 0.025); those exposed to emotional neglect (EN) reported a lower social cognition score (P = 0.044); and those exposed to physical neglect reported a lower social cognition score (P = 0.036) but higher visual learning and memory score (P = 0.032). Rs3088077 could interact with EN to increase risk for schizophrenia. Optimal model rs62043855 × EA, rs3088077 × rs7162435 × rs11550869 × SA × EN and rs2303579 × rs7162435 × rs11550869 × rs62043855 × EA × PA could explain positive symptom, excitement symptom and working memory, respectively, in FH+ group. Conclusion: The study highlighted that the combined interaction of NEDD4 and CT may be associated with symptoms of schizophrenia especially for those with FH+.

Significance of Patient Participation in Nursing Care.

Patient participation, an international requirement according to the World Health Organization and other international bodies, is a must in nursing care. It involves patient engagement in making their own treatment decisions, participating in the development and evaluation of services and taking part in policy development. Patient participation on the individual, organizational and policy development levels has been discussed. Facilitators of and barriers to active patient participation, as well as ways to enhance it, were also included in this review. Poor communication, a paternalistic approach, time constraints, lack of encouragement and lack of information-sharing are some of the challenges associated with poor patient participation in nursing care. Facilitators of patient participation include empowering patients, involving them in making decisions and policy making, understanding their perspective about their role in their care and empowerment through leadership. Patient participation in nursing care has numerous benefits including effective healthcare services, improved patient safety, enhanced quality of care, fewer medication errors, more medication adherence and assessment of the care services received.

Visible-Light-Promoted Regioselective 1,3-Fluoroallylation of gem-Difluorocyclopropanes.

A strategically novel protocol for ring-opening functionalization of aryl gem-difluorocyclopropanes (F2CPs), which allows an expedient construction of CF3-containing architectures via visible-light-promoted F-nucleophilic attack manifold, was disclosed. Single electron oxidation of F2CPs was ascribed as the critical step for the success of this transformation by prompting F-nucleophilic attack, as well as the ensuing C-C bond scission. The observed intriguing regioselectivity for fluoroincorporation in this reaction was rationalized by invoking the cation-stabilization property of gem-difluorine substituents and also the thermodynamic gains acquired from forming CF3 functionality. By using cost-effective fluorination reagent and readily available substrates, a broad collection of structurally diversified α-allyl-ß-trifluoromethyl ethylbenzene derivatives could be obtained in generally good yields. Further mechanistic investigations proved the engagement of a benzylic radical intermediate in this transformation.

Childhood trauma interacted with BDNF Val66Met influence schizophrenic symptoms.

The gene - environment (G × E) interaction effect is involved in severe mental disorders. However, whether the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism participates in the childhood-abuse influenced schizophrenic symptoms remains unclear. We examined the interaction between BDNF Val66Met, and childhood trauma (ChT) on psychotic symptoms in a Chinese Han population.To estimate the G × E interaction, psychiatric interviews, self-report questionnaires for ChT, and genotyping for BDNF Val66Met were carried out on 201 schizophrenic patients. G × E interactions were analyzed by generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR).Among all patients, 11.9%, 19.4%, 23.4%, 26.4%, and 73.6% reported emotional abuses, physical abuses (PA), sexual abuses (SA), emotional neglects (EN), and physical neglects (PN), respectively. Significant negative correlations were observed between anxiety/depression factors, and ChT total scores. Patients with 3 different BDNF genotypes showed significant differences in anxiety/depression scores. Significant 2-way interactions were found for Val66Met × PN, 3-way interactions were found for Val66Met × PN × PA, and four-way interactions were found for Val66Met × PN × PA × EN with regard to the excitement scores.Our findings suggested an involvement of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism after ChT in terms of risk for schizophrenia symptoms.

Construction of Multilevel Structure for Avian Influenza Virus System Based on Granular Computing.

Exploring the genetic structure of influenza viruses attracts the attention in the field of molecular ecology and medical genetics, whose epidemics cause morbidity and mortality worldwide. The rapid variations in RNA strand and changes of protein structure of the virus result in low-accuracy subtyping identification and make it difficult to develop effective drugs and vaccine. This paper constructs the evolutionary structure of avian influenza virus system considering both hemagglutinin and neuraminidase protein fragments. An optimization model was established to determine the rational granularity of the virus system for exploring the intrinsic relationship among the subtypes based on the fuzzy hierarchical evaluation index. Thus, an algorithm was presented to extract the rational structure. Furthermore, to reduce the systematic and computational complexity, the granular signatures of virus system were identified based on the coarse-grained idea and then its performance was evaluated through a designed classifier. The results showed that the obtained virus signatures could approximate and reflect the whole avian influenza virus system, indicating that the proposed method could identify the effective virus signatures. Once a new molecular virus is detected, it is efficient to identify the homologous virus hierarchically.

Overexpression of PEP-19 suppresses angiotensin II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.

The precise molecular mechanisms leading to disturbance of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent intracellular signalling in cardiac hypertrophy remains unclear. As an endogenous calmodulin regulator protein, the pathophysiology role of PEP-19 during cardiac hypertrophy was investigated in the present study. We here demonstrated that PEP-19 protein levels are significantly elevated in the aortic banding model in vivo and angiotensin II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in vitro. Consistent with inhibitory actions of PEP-19 on cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, induction of CaMKII and calcineurin activation as well as hypertrophy-related genes including atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) was significantly inhibited by PEP-19 transfection. Moreover, PEP-19 partially ameliorates angiotensin II-induced elevation of phospho-phospholamban (Thr-17) and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) release in cardiomyocytes. Together, our results suggest that PEP-19 attenuates angiotensin II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy via suppressing the disturbance of CaMKII and calcineurin signaling.

BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and anxiety/depression symptoms in schizophrenia in a Chinese Han population.

BACKGROUND: Although several lines of evidences suggest that the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism may be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, this association remains controversial. Here, we aim to investigate the genetic association between the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and schizophrenia and to explore whether this polymorphism could influence the severity of clinical symptoms in schizophrenic patients in a Chinese Han population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Genotyping of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism was carried out in 456 schizophrenic patients and 483 controls using the fluorescence resonance energy transfer method. The patients' psychotic symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. The general clinical data of schizophrenic patients were analyzed. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the genotype distribution and allelic frequencies of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism between the schizophrenia group and the controls. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism explained ~16% of the variance in anxiety/depression symptoms in schizophrenic patients. CONCLUSION: Our data provide evidence that the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism may be involved in the etiology of schizophrenia in a Chinese Han population. Furthermore, the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism is a significant factor influencing the severity of anxiety/depression symptoms in schizophrenic patients.

[Association study of brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism and clinical characteristics of first episode schizophrenia].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene Val66Met polymorphism and clinical characteristics of first episode schizophrenia in a Chinese Han population. METHODS: Genotyping of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism was carried out for 135 schizophrenic patients and 483 healthy controls with TaqMan probe technology. The patients' psychotic symptoms were assessed using the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS). RESULTS: A significant difference was found in genotype distribution and allelic frequency of the Val66Met polymorphism between the two groups (P< 0.01). In patients, Met homozygotes had a significantly higher score in anxiety/depression factor, cognitive factor and total score of PANSS than Val carriers. CONCLUSION: BDNF gene Val66Met polymorphism is associated with the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. The Met/Met genotype of BDNF Val66Met variant may be a risk factor for symptoms in first episode schizophrenia patients.

Neuroprotective effect of CPDT on THA-induced cortical motor neuron death in an organotypic culture model.

Brain stroke, trauma, and motor neuron disease each can result in cortical motoneuron (CMN) death or impairment. Glutamate excitotoxicity induces motor neuron damage in both acute motor neuron loss and chronic motor neuron degeneration. It is necessary to find effective strategies to protect CMNs from excitotoxicity in a variety of pathological conditions. 5,6-Dihydrocyclopenta-1,2-dithiole-3-thione (CPDT) is one of the phase II enzyme inducers. In our previous report, CPDT was shown to have neuroprotective effects on the spinal cord, by activating the Nrf2/ARE pathway to increase antioxidative capacity. In this study, in order to figure out whether CPDT can prevent CMN's from THA-induced death, we set up an organotypic brain slice culture system. Threo-hydroxyaspartate (THA), a glutamate transport inhibitor, was added to the culture medium to induce CMN death by glutamate excitotoxicity. Brain slices were pretreated with CPDT for 48h, then treated with CPDT and THA simultaneously for 3 weeks. We found that pretreatment with CPDT significantly increased CMN survival. Glutamate concentration in the culture medium was significantly greater following THA treatment, whereas no significant decrease was found in the CPDT pretreatment group. However, both Nrf2 and HO-1 protein expression was significantly elevated in the CPDT pretreatment group, and Nrf2 protein translocated to the nucleus after CPDT stimulation. These findings suggest that CPDT can protect CMNs from THA-induced motor neuron death by activating the Nrf2 pathway and increasing HO-1 protein expression. Therefore, increasing antioxidative defense capacity should benefit to upper motor neuron survival following a glutamate excitotoxicity insult.

Neuroprotective potential of phase II enzyme inducer diallyl trisulfide.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, selectively involving the upper and lower motor neurons. Glutamate excitotoxicity and oxidative stress are important mechanisms for the pathogenesis of ALS. Nuclear-factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a master transcriptional regulator of many cytoprotective genes. Nrf2 signal pathway could induce a series of antioxidant enzyme, anti-inflammatory and antitoxic protein. The expression of these antioxidant enzymes and antioxidant proteins in nervous system exhibited broad neuroprotection against injury by glutamate. Diallyl trisulfide (DATS) was previously shown to induce many Nrf2 target genes in non-nervous cells. Our studies have shown that DATS at 50 microM caused activation of Nrf2 and Nrf2 target gene in rat spinal cord explants. DATS also protected motor neurons against glutamate-induced excitotoxicity. These have identified DATS as a promising neuroprotective agent and suggest that the activation of Nrf2 signal pathway may be a new strategy in neurodegeneration disease.

The NADPH oxidase is involved in lipopolysaccharide-mediated motor neuron injury.

Recent evidence indicates that neuroinflammation is a key event in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, the precise impact of inflammation on motor neurons remains elusive. By using organotypic spinal cord slice cultures, we demonstrate that exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) led to the demise of motor neurons in a dose- and time- dependent manner, whereas interneurons were impaired relatively mildly. The ultrastructure of motor neurons showed extensive vacuolation and swollen mitochondria. Motor neurons lacked the expression of calretinin, and BAPTA-AM, an intracellular calcium chelator, ameliorated motor neuron injury, indicating that the low capacity of calcium buffering may partially account for the vulnerability of motor neurons. NADPH oxidase was activated upon LPS challenge, and apocynin, the selective inhibitor of this enzyme, prevented inflammation-mediated toxicity to motor neurons, suggesting that NADPH oxidase may play a critical role in motor neuron death caused by LPS-induced inflammation.

Effect of ALS IgG on motor neurons in organotypic spinal cord cultures.

OBJECTIVE: Reports about the role of autoimmunity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are inconsistent. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of IgG from patients with ALS on motor neurons in a physiological-like surrounding. METHODS: Using affinity chromatography, IgG from six ALS patients, four disease controls and five healthy subjects was purified. Organotypic spinal cord cultures, which conserve the structure of the spinal cord in a horizontal plane and are suitable for studies with long-term treatment, were used and IgG with different concentrations ranging from 0.05 mg/mL to 0.5 mg/mL was added to the culture medium. Ventral motor neuron survival was evaluated by morphology and SMI-32 immunohistochemistry staining. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level in the culture medium was measured by colorimetry. RESULTS: After cultures were treated with ALS IgG for three weeks, the number and morphology of motor neurons showed little change. In addition, there was no significant difference in lactate dehydrogenase release between cultures treated with medium alone, normal control IgG, disease control IgG or ALS IgG. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that IgG from these ALS patients was insufficient per se to induce motor neuron death in organotypic slice cultures. However, this does not preclude the possibility that other changes may have occurred in the motor neurons. This work offered a new model to evaluate the role of IgG in the pathogenesis of ALS. Organotypic cultures contribute to study of the impact of IgG on motor neurons by mimicking physiological conditions.

The neuroprotective potential of phase II enzyme inducer on motor neuron survival in traumatic spinal cord injury in vitro.

(1) Phase II enzyme inducer is a kind of compound which can promote the expression of antioxidative enzymes through nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) activation. Recently, it has been reported that these compounds show neuroprotective effect via combating oxidative stress. The purpose of this study is to determine whether phase II enzyme inducers have neuroprotective effects on traumatic spinal cord injury. (2) An organotypic spinal cord culture system was used, Phase II enzyme inducers were added to culture medium for 1 week, motor neurons were counted by SMI-32 staining, glutamate, Nrf2, and Heme oxygenase-1(HO-1) mRNA were tested. (3) This study showed motor neuron loss within 1 week in culture. After 1 week in culture, the system was stable. Moreover, Glutamate was increased when in culture 48 h and decreased after 1 week in culture. There was no significant change between 1 and 4 weeks in culture. Necrotic motor neuron and damaged mitochondrial were observed in culture 48 h. Furthermore, phase II enzyme inducers: tert-butyhydroquinone (t-BHQ), 3H-1,2-dithiole-3-thione (D3T), and 5,6-dihydrocyclopenta-1,2-dithiole-3-thione (CPDT) were shown to promote motor neuron survival after dissection, it was due to increasing Nrf2 and HO-1 mRNA expression and protecting mitochondrial not due to decreasing glutamate level. (4) The loss of motor neuron due to dissection can mimic severe traumatic spinal cord injury. These results demonstrate that glutamate excitotoxicity and the damage of mitochondrial is possibly involve in motor neuron death after traumatic spinal cord injury and phase II enzyme inducers show neuroprotective potential on motor neuron survival in traumatic spinal cord injury in vitro.