Corrigendum: Oral Administration of α-Asarone Promotes Functional Recovery in Rats With Spinal Cord Injury.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00445.].

Oral Administration of α-Asarone Promotes Functional Recovery in Rats With Spinal Cord Injury.

α-asarone, a bioactive compound found in Acorus plant species, has been shown to exhibit neuroprotective, anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and cognitive-enhancing effects. However, the effects of α-asarone on spinal cord injury (SCI) have not yet been elucidated. The present study investigated the effects of α-asarone on the mRNA of pro-inflammatory cytokines, macrophage polarization toward an anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype, and angiogenesis in rats with compressive SCI. α-Asarone was orally administered (10 mg/kg) once per day for 14 days following moderate static compression SCI. Compared to controls, α-asarone treatment significantly improved locomotor score, prevented neuroinflammation, and facilitated angiogenesis in the spinal cord at 14 days after SCI. Furthermore, α-asarone significantly reduced the TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein 2 (MIP-2), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) levels but increased the IL-4, IL-10, and arginase 1 levels at 24 h after SCI. At 7 and 14 days after SCI, immunohistochemistry showed reduced reactive gliosis and neuroinflammation and an increased expression of M2 macrophage markers and angiogenesis. The results suggest that the inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines, macrophage polarization toward an anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype, and angiogenesis by α-asarone may be some of the mechanisms underlying the α-asarone-mediated neuroprotective effects on an injured spinal cord.

Effect of cardiac resynchronization therapy on diastolic dysfunction as assessed by transthoracic two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and electrical dyssynchrony has been shown to improve morbidity and mortality. Improvement in diastolic dysfunction may contribute to these results. In this retrospective study, the authors assessed the effect of CRT on the E/A ratio and mitral valve deceleration time, which are commonly utilized parameters of left ventricular diastolic function. In 13 patients (aged 62 +/- 11.3 years), the E/A ratio increased from 1.17 +/- 0.58 to 1.49 +/- 0.66 (p = nonsignificant) and the mitral valve deceleration time increased from 178.48+/-57.71 milliseconds to 227.70 +/- 76.18 milliseconds (p = 0.054) post-CRT. In patients without mitral regurgitation, there was a significant increase in E/A ratio, from 1.22 +/- 0.4 to 1.86 +/- 0.47 (p = 0.025), but no significant change in the mitral valve deceleration time post-CRT was observed. These data suggest improvement in diastolic dysfunction as assessed by routine two-dimensional echocardiography in patients who receive CRT devices.