Spinal cord injury (SCI) remains a formidable challenge in biomedical research, as the silencing of intrinsic regenerative signals in most spinal neurons results in an inability to reestablish neural circuits. In this study, we found that neurons with low axonal regeneration after SCI showed decreased extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation levels. However, the expression of dual specificity phosphatase 26 (DUSP26)─which negatively regulates ERK phosphorylation─was reduced considerably in neurons undergoing spontaneous axonal regeneration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStem cell transplantation is a promising strategy to establish neural relays in situ for spinal cord injury (SCI) repair. Recent research has reported short-term survival of exogenous cells, irrespective of immunosuppressive drugs (ISD), results in similar function recovery, though the mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to validate this short-term repair effect and the potential mechanisms in large animals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: Microglia activation after spinal cord injury (SCI) is a double-edged sword, modulation of the activated microglia populations toward pro-regenerative phenotypes highlights the potential therapeutic implications. P2Y12, a microglia-specific marker, remains underexplored in its capacity to polarize microglial activation populations in SCI repair. We aimed to explore the effects of modulating P2Y12 on microglia function after spinal cord injury, and further on axonal regeneration and motor recovery after spinal cord injury.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpinal cord injury (SCI) activates nestin neural stem cells (NSCs), which can be regarded as potential seed cells for neuronal regeneration. However, the lesion microenvironment seriously hinders the migration of the nestin cells to the lesion epicenter and their differentiation into neurons to rebuild neural circuits. In this study, a photosensitive hydrogel scaffold is prepared as drug delivery carrier.
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