Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Weihong Du, Yongbing Deng, Rong Jiang, Luyao Tong, Ruixue Li, Xue Jiang
Summary: Recent evidence suggests that demyelination and axonal degeneration occur in spinal cord injury during the secondary injury phase. Treatment with clemastine, an FDA-approved drug, was shown to preserve myelin integrity, decrease axonal loss, and improve functional recovery in a rat SCI model. This indicates that myelination-enhancing strategies could potentially be a therapeutic approach for functional recovery in SCI.
NEUROCHEMICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Shuxin Liu, Wei Zhang, Lin Yang, Fan Zhou, Peng Liu, Yaping Wang
Summary: The study showed that BMP7 has neuroprotective effects on rats with SCI, reducing demyelination and promoting functional recovery. BMP7 partially reversed oligodendrocyte loss, helping to maintain the normal structure of myelin, increase the number of axons, and improve scores. The protective effects of BMP7 may involve the induction of p-Smad1/5/9 and p-STAT3 in oligodendrocytes.
JOURNAL OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Katarzyna Pieczonka, Hiroaki Nakashima, Narihito Nagoshi, Kazuya Yokota, James Hong, Anna Badner, Jonathon C. T. Chio, Shinsuke Shibata, Mohamad Khazaei, Michael G. Fehlings
Summary: Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) causes the loss of neurons and glial cells. Current interventions for SCI lack regenerative solutions. Neural stem/progenitor cell (NPC) transplantation is a promising strategy for regeneration but inconsistent differentiation hinders functional recovery. This study generated oligodendrogenically biased NPCs (oNPCs) from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and demonstrated their effectiveness in a rodent model of cervical SCI, showing enhanced tissue preservation, remyelination, and functional recovery without adverse effects. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of oNPCs in cervical SCI and call for further investigation to optimize this approach.
STEM CELLS TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Jiang-Hu Huang, Yong-Neng Chen, Hang He, Chun-Hui Fu, Zhao-Yi Xu, Fei-Yue Lin
Summary: This study demonstrates that Schwann cells-derived exosomes (SCs-Exos) can promote proliferation, migration, and tube formation of brain-derived endothelial cells (bEnd.3 cells). It is found that SCs-Exos express high levels of the pro-angiogenesis molecules, Integrin-beta 1. The angiogenic effect of SCs-Exos on bEnd.3 cells is dependent on Integrin-beta 1 expression. In an spinal cord injury (SCI) model, treatment with SCs-Exos attenuates tissue damage and enhances functional recovery by promoting angiogenesis, which requires the involvement of Integrin-beta 1.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Tengli Huang, Junjie Shen, Bingbo Bao, Wencheng Hu, Yi Sun, Tianhao Zhu, Junqing Lin, Tao Gao, Xingwei Li, Xianyou Zheng
Summary: The mitochondrial-specific antioxidant MitoQ promotes functional recovery and tissue preservation through the enhancement of angiogenesis with the modification of mitochondrial function after spinal cord injury (SCI).
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Fangliang Guo, Xiaolong Zheng, Ziyu He, Ruoying Zhang, Song Zhang, Minghuan Wang, Hong Chen, Wei Wang
Summary: The study found that long-term treatment with NMD helps to improve locomotion, pain-related behaviors, and spasticity-like symptoms in rats with SCI, but has less effect on open-field activity, hind limb grip strength, and bladder function. Additionally, NMD-treated rats showed greater tissue preservation, reduced lesion areas, and increased perilesional neuronal sparing, suggesting a potential therapeutic strategy for SCI treatment.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Taoyang Yuan, Yu Shao, Xu Zhou, Qian Liu, Zhichao Zhu, Bini Zhou, Yuanchen Dong, Nicholas Stephanopoulos, Songbai Gui, Hao Yan, Dongsheng Liu
Summary: Researchers have developed a DNA hydrogel to repair spinal cord gap in rats, promoting proliferation and differentiation of stem cells for functional recovery. This hydrogel system shows great potential in clinical trials and could be adaptable to other tissue regeneration applications.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Jin Young Hong, Su Hee Kim, Yoojin Seo, Jooik Jeon, Ganchimeg Davaa, Jung Keun Hyun, Soo Hyun Kim
Summary: Spinal cord injury disrupts the blood-spinal cord barrier and impairs blood circulation, but the application of RADA16 modified with substance P promotes angiogenesis and functional recovery in rats with SCI.
JOURNAL OF TISSUE ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Wu Jiang, Fan He, Guoming Ding, Junsong Wu
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of the novel mitochondria-targeted peptide EPT in spinal cord injury (SCI). The results showed that EPT improved locomotor functional recovery and reduced neuronal loss. EPT also inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation and elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, EPT alleviated mitochondrial dysfunction and reduced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species level. Therefore, EPT may protect against SCI by inhibiting pyroptosis.
CNS NEUROSCIENCE & THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Yong Cao, Yan Xu, Chunyuan Chen, Hui Xie, Hongbin Lu, Jianzhong Hu
Summary: In this study, it was demonstrated that a locally administered injection of USC-Exo embedded in hydrogel can deliver ANGPTL3 to the injured spinal cord region. Additionally, the administration of human USC-Exo could enhance spinal cord neurological functional recovery by promoting angiogenesis. Mechanistic studies revealed that ANGPTL3 enriched in USC-Exo is required for their ability to promote angiogenesis through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.
STEM CELL RESEARCH & THERAPY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Bing Yang, Pang-Bo Wang, Ning Mu, Kang Ma, Shi Wang, Chuan-Yan Yang, Zhong-Bing Huang, Ying Lai, Hua Feng, Guang-Fu Yin, Tu-Nan Chen, Chen-Shi Hu
Summary: The study demonstrated that a conductive graphene oxide composited chitosan scaffold could induce nerve cells growth and promote neural tissue regeneration, suggesting potential for repairing damaged nerve tissue.
NEURAL REGENERATION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Shiva Hashemizadeh, Zeinab Gharaylou, Saereh Hosseindoost, Maryam Sardari, Ameneh Omidi, Hassan Hosseini Ravandi, Mahmoudreza Hadjighassem
Summary: This study found that early administration of bumetanide after spinal cord injury can promote recovery of locomotor function. The results showed that bumetanide can reduce the expression of NKCC1 gene and increase GAP protein levels, thereby having neuroprotective and regenerative effects.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Sisi Mi, Xue Wang, Jiaxin Gao, Yu Liu, Zhongquan Qi
Summary: After spinal cord injury (SCI), the microenvironment inhibits neural regeneration due to the abundance of inhibitory factors and lack of factors promoting nerve regeneration. This study developed a bioactive material, hp-SHED sheet, to mimic the natural spinal cord structure and enhance nerve cell attachment and migration. Implantation of hp-SHED sheet in SCI rats promoted nerve regeneration, axonal remyelination, and inhibited glial scarring, leading to the restoration of sensory and motor functions.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Xinzhu Zhang, Wu Xiong, Guang Kong, Yushan Zhen, Qiang Zeng, Siming Wang, Sheng Chen, Jun Gu, Cong Li, Kaijin Guo
Summary: This study introduces a new drug loading system that encapsulates paclitaxel into spermine-functionalized acetal-dextran nanoparticles. The sustained release of paclitaxel for 4 days can promote nerve process extension and reduce scar formation in a rat spinal cord injury model. This neuroprotective treatment shows better therapeutic effects compared to traditional paclitaxel treatment.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Kun Wang, Xinjin Su, Qingxin Song, Zhi Chen, Hao Chen, Yingchao Han, Chao Zhu, Hongxing Shen
Summary: Abnormal expression of non-coding RNAs is observed in spinal cord injury and is associated with pathophysiological outcomes. Through bioinformatics analysis, a circRNA-miRNA-mRNA axis in spinal cord injury was predicted. Differential expression of 4690 mRNAs, 17 miRNAs, and 3928 circRNAs was identified, with co-expressed RNAs predicted to regulate pathways related to wound healing. Furthermore, circ_006573 was found to weaken viability and migration of rat aortic endothelial cells, and its effects were rescued by miR-376b-3p mimics.
MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
(2023)
