A re-assessment of the effects of treatment with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (ibuprofen) on promoting axon regeneration via RhoA inhibition after spinal cord injury.

This study was undertaken as part of the NIH "Facilities of Research Excellence-Spinal Cord Injury" project to support independent replication of published studies. Here, we repeat key parts of a study reporting that rats treated with ibuprofen via subcutaneous minipump exhibited greater recovery of motor function and enhanced axonal growth after spinal cord injury. We carried out 3 separate experiments in which young adult female Sprague-Dawley rats received dorsal over-hemisections at T6-T7, and then were implanted with osmotic minipumps for subcutaneous delivery of ibuprofen or saline.