To compare the effectiveness of cyclosporin-A (CsA) with methylprednisolone (MP) or a combination of both upon inhibition of lipid peroxidation (LP) after spinal cord (SC) injury, rats were treated with either CsA, MP, CSA+MP or vehicle starting 1 h after SC contusion at T9 level. LP was assessed 24h after injury by the lipid fluorescent product formation method. The survival rate was also evaluated in other series of rats by the Kaplan-Meier curves. Lipid peroxidation was similarly inhibited in rats treated with CsA, MP, or CSA+MP (p>0.05). Animals receiving MP (alone or combined with CsA) showed the poorest surviving rate. LP was inhibited by CsA to the same extent as by MP but without the lethal effect of the latter.