Protective effects of phosphatidylcholine on oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy in rats

The present study was designed to investigate the therapeutic potential of phosphatidylcholine (PC) on oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: the control group, the oxaliplatin group (4 mg/kg, twice per week for 4 weeks) and the oxaliplatin + PC (300 mg/kg) group. To evaluate the effect of PC, we examined the thermal nociceptive threshold changes in oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy by conducting paw pressure, hot-plate and tail-flick tests. Additional experiments on the degree of oxidative stress in the sciatic nerves were performed by measuring the level of MDA, total glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. We also used histopathological and immunohistochemical methods to observe neuronal damage and glial activation. PC attenuated oxidative stress by increasing antioxidant levels. In histopathological evaluation, the PC administrated group maintained normal morphologic appearance of sciatic nerves, similar to the control group. In spinal cords, however, no significant difference between the oxaliplatin-alone group and the oxaliplatin + PC group was observed. In the immunohistochemical evaluation, PC administration ameliorated oxaliplatin-induced microglial activation. It is suggested that PC has a therapeutic potential against oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy due to its antioxidant property and modulation of microglial activities.