据一项发表于11月18日Journal of Neurophysiology网络版的研究报告，美国普渡大学的医学科学院Wenjing Sun等人通过对豚鼠脊髓组织实验，发现实验性药物4-氨基-3甲基氢氧化物(4-aminopyridine-3-methyl hydroxide)能够恢复脊髓损伤造成的神经细胞轴突的功能损坏。
实验中所采用的药物是4-氨基吡啶(4-aminopyridine)的衍生物，4-氨基吡啶最初用于控制多发性硬化症的症状。研究人员对豚鼠脊髓组织模拟通常情况下的压迫损伤，然后用4-氨基-3甲基氢氧化物治疗损伤的轴突。
神经元的轴突的周围包围着髓鞘，具有绝缘作用，可以防止神经冲动向周围扩散，以保证传导的准确性。当脊髓发生损伤后，会破坏髓鞘的结构，从而使轴突上的传导神经冲动的“快速钾离子通道(fast potassium channels)”受损。
研究人员通过“膜片钳技术(patch clamp)”测量信号传导，发现4-氨基-3甲基氢氧化物是一种“钾离子通道阻滞剂”，能够防止因髓鞘破坏引起的神经冲动向周围扩散，从而加强受损伤的脊髓的神经传导。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
J Neurophysiol (November 18, 2009). doi:10.1152/jn.00154.2009
A novel potassium channel blocker, 4-AP-3-MeOH, inhibits fast potassium channels and restores axonal conduction in injured guinea pig spinal cord white matter
Wenjing Sun1, Daniel Smith1, Yan Fu1, Ji-Xin Cheng1, Steven Bryn1, Richard Borgens1, and Riyi Shi1*
1 Purdue University
* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
We have demonstrated that 4-AP-3-MeOH, a 4-aminopyridine derivative, significantly restores axonal conduction in stretched spinal cord white mater strips, and shows no preference in restoring large and small axons. This compound is10 times more potent when compared to 4-AP and other derivatives in restoring axonal conduction. Unlike 4-AP, 4-AP-3-MeOH can restore axonal conduction without changing axonal electrophysiological properties. In addition, we also have confirmed that 4-AP-3-MeOH is indeed an effective blocker of IA based on patch clamp studies using guinea pig dorsal root ganglia cells. Furthermore, we have also provided the critical evidence to confirm the unmasking of potassium channels following mechanical injury. Taken together, our data further support and implicates the role of potassium channels in conduction loss and its therapeutic value as an effective target for intervention to restore function in spinal cord trauma. Furthermore, due to its high potency and possible low side effect of impacting electrophysiological properties, 4-AP-3-MeOH is perhaps the optimal choice in reversing conduction block in spinal cord injury compared to other derivatives previously reported from this group.
