Effectiveness of Pharmacotherapy in Reducing the Inflammation Process of Spinal Cord Injuries: A Systematic Review of Animal Studies

Background: Currently, there is no gold standard technique in SCI therapy. Although there have been many systematic reviews on the pharmacological treatment of inflammation in SCI, there has been no published discussion regarding the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory pharmacotherapy when viewed from a neuroinflammatory pathway. This research aimed to examine an effective and reliable medication for decreasing inflammation in SCI and, where possible, identify effective pharmacotherapeutic treatment protocols. Methods: We searched SCOPUS, PubMed, PlosOne, and Science Direct, for experimental trials published in English. The keywords included (Pharmacotherapy OR pharmacology OR treatment) AND (traumatic spinal cord injury OR spinal cord OR traumatic OR hemisection of spinal cord OR compression OR traumatic spinal cord injury OR aneurysm clip OR hemisection of spinal cord OR sharp pin injury) AND (Side Effect therapy). In addition, the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) score was used to assess post-SCI clinical progress. Results: Twelve pilot studies met the inclusion criteria. The highest BBB score was 15, and the best animal performance was tested after the average therapy was on the second week or 14th day. Three pharmacotherapies have fast effectiveness regarding BBB scores: calcitriol, lithium, and valproic acid. As well as a combination of pharmacotherapy therapy with surgical therapy also get significant results. Conclusions: The preliminary findings showed that many inflammatory pathways cause inflammatory agents to have their pathways for inhibition pathways, so they have different ways.