Evaluation of the effects of berberine in the prevention of epidural fibrosis in rats An experimental research

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of berberine (BBR) in preventing the development of epidural fibrosis (EF) after lumbar surgery in rats. Methods: This experimental study was carried out at the animal laboratory of Zonguldak Biilent Ecevit University, Zonguldak, Trurkey, between April 2020 and June 2020. A total of 32 Wistar albino female rats underwent laminectomy and were divided into 4 equal groups. Group 1 did not receive any treatment (control group). In group 2, absorbable gelatin sponge was placed at the surgical site. Groups 3 was administered BBR 10 mg/kg and group 4 was administered BBR 60 mg/kg per oral per day for one week after laminectomy. All rats were sacrificed 6 weeks after the operation. Concentration of hydroxyproline (HP) in tissues and histopathological evaluations were carried out to evaluate the level of fibrosis. Results: Epidural fibrosis results in group 4 were significantly lower than those in groups 1 and 2 (p <= 0.001). However, there was no significant difference between the mean EF degree between group 2 and group 3. Arachnoidal invasion in both group 3 and group 4 were significantly lower compared to group 1 (p<0.05). In terms of HP results, the difference between group 4 and group 1 was statistically significant (p<0.001). Conclusion: This study provides preliminary evidence of the potential use of BBR for preventing the development of EF.