Abstract

Background: The injuries of peripheral nervous system cause the death of a number of motor cells of the spinal cord. Neurotrophins family genes such as NT3 involve in neuronal survive after nerve injury and their expression changes after it. With due attention to the expansion of portulaca pleracea in the world study was conducted to determine the effects of alcoholic and aqueous extracts of Potulaca oleracea on the NT3 gene expression after sciatic nerve compression in rat.

Materials and Methods: This study was performed on 88 male wistar rats that randomly were divided in 13 groups of 6 each. They consisted of control group, 4 compression groups (The sciatic nerve was compressed with locker pincer) and 8 treatment groups: compression + treatment with dose of 75 mg/kg of alcoholic and aqueous extract of Portulaca oleracea on days 1 and 7 (never compression was done on the first day). In all groups, Total RNA was extracted from the lumbar spinal cord segment in 1, 7, 14, 28 days and cDNA was synthesized, then NT3 expression changes were compared in groups.

Results: There was a significant increase in NT3 gene expression in the compression group compared to control (p<0.001). The NT3 gene expression shows significant increase (p<0.05) in the treatment groups with alcoholic extract (except 1& 28 days). Also, there was no significant difference in gene expression between treatment group with acqueous extract and compression group in 1 and 7 days. A significant decrease was seen in the treatment groups with aqueous extract of purslane compared to compression (p<0.05). The NT3 gene expression shows significant increase in the treatment groups with alcoholic extract compared to treatment groups with aqueous extract in all days (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The results reveal the Portulaca oleracea leaves extracts increase the NT3 gene expression after sciatic nerve injury. This effect is more in alcoholic extract than aqueous extract.