Comparative Analysis of S100β Expression on Spinal Cord Tissue of Injured Vs. Uninjured Rat Models (Rattus Norvegicus Sprague-Dawley)

Background: S100β is a Ca2+-binding protein found in glial astrocytes of the central nervous system. It is known to increase in various pathological conditions, including spinal cord injury (SCI), and is commonly detected in cerebrospinal fluid and serum. However, no study has examined histopathological S100β expression in spinal cord tissue after SCI. Objective: This study aimed to assess differences in S100β expression in spinal cord tissue of rat (Rattus norvegicus Sprague-Dawley) SCI models compared to uninjured controls. Method: An experimental post-test only randomized control group design was used. Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: control (K), SCI induction with termination at 6 hours (P1), and SCI induction with termination at 12 hours (P2). S100β expression was analyzed using one-way ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey HSD tests. Results: Significant differences in S100β expression were found among the groups (p = 0.006). Post-hoc analysis showed a significant increase in S100β expression in the P1 group compared to the control group (p = 0.005). No significant differences were observed between the control and P2 groups (p = 0.480) or between P1 and P2 (p = 0.077). Conclusion: S100β expression increases significantly 6 hours after SCI but decreases by 12 hours, approaching control levels. This suggests that astrocyte activity and cell destruction are most prominent early after injury, with recovery occurring over time.