en Related Fields Related Fields مقاله کوتاه Short Communication <strong>Background</strong>: In animal models of inflammatory diseases, Mammalian sterile 20-like kinase 1 (<em>Mst1)</em> facilitates the programmed cell death as a novel pro-apoptotic kinase. This research aimed to determine the expression level of <em>Mst1</em> gene in a rat model of SCI treated with valproic acid (VPA). <strong>Methods: </strong>Severe rat model contusion was used for evaluation of the neuroprotective effect of valproic acid. The Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan test, was performed to determine locomotor functions. Hematoxylin/eosin staining and TUNEL assay were performed to detect cavity formation and apoptosis, respectively. The mRNA levels of the genes <em>Mst1</em>, nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2, and B-cell lymphoma 2 were evaluated, using quantitative real-time PCR acute spinal cord injury (RT-PCR). <strong>Results</strong>: The results revealed that <em>Mst1</em> gene expression and TUNEL-positive cells in the VPA-treated group were significantly reduced as compared to the untreated group (<em>p</em> &le; 0.05). <strong>Conclusion</strong>: Our findings indicate that VPA has therapeutic potential and can be a candidate for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders and traumatic injury as a promising drug. Bcl-2, Contusion, Mst1, Nrf2, Valproic acid 303 307 http://ibj.pasteur.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-538-4&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Ali Mardi ali.mardi66@yahoo.com 0000-0002-8303-274X No Department of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences (ZUMS), Zanjan, Iran Alireza Biglari biglari@zums.ac.ir 0000-0002-3020-5889 No Department of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences (ZUMS), Zanjan, Iran Reza Nejatbakhsh reza_nejat@yahoo.com 0000-0002-4469-7466 No Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences (ZUMS), Zanjan, Iran Alireza Abdanipour abdani.anatomy@yahoo.com 0000-0002-2975-3423 Yes Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences (ZUMS), Zanjan, Iran