Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is regarded as an acute neurological disorder, and astrocytes play a role in the progression of SCI.
Objective: Herein, we investigated the roles of homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2)- modified rat spinal astrocytes in neurofunctional recovery after SCI.
Methods: Rat spinal astrocytes were cultured, isolated, and then identified through microscopic observation and immunofluorescence staining. Astrocytes were infected with the adenovirus vector overexpressing HIPK2 for modification, and proliferation and apoptosis of astrocytes were examined using Cell Counting Kit-8 method and flow cytometry. SCI rat models were established and treated with astrocytes or HIPK2-modified astrocytes. Subsequently, rat motor ability was analyzed via the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) scoring and inclined-plane test, and the damage to spinal cord tissues and neuronal survival were observed via Hematoxylin-eosin staining and Nissl staining. The levels of HIPK2, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and nuclear factor erythroid 2- related transcription factor 2 (Nrf2)/antioxidant response element (ARE) pathway-related proteins were detected.
Results: Rat spinal astrocytes were harvested successfully. HIPK2 overexpression accelerated the proliferation and repressed the apoptosis of rat spinal astrocytes. Rat spinal astrocytes treatment increased BBB points and the maximum angle at which SCI rats remained stable, ameliorated damage to spinal cord tissues, increased the number of neurons, and attenuated neural damage and inflammation, while the treatment of HIPK2-modified rat spinal astrocytes imparted more pronounced effects to the neurofunctional recovery of SCI rats. Meanwhile, HIPK2-modified rat spinal astrocytes further activated the Nrf2/ARE pathway.
Conclusion: HIPK2-modified rat spinal astrocytes facilitated neurofunctional recovery and activated the Nrf2/ARE pathway after SCI.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1567202619666220601111715 | DOI Listing |
Spinal Cord
January 2025
McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Study Design: Experimental Animal Study.
Objective: To continue validating an antibody which targets an epitope of neurofilament light chain (NF-L) only available during neurodegeneration and to utilize the antibody to describe the pattern of axonal degeneration 10 days post-unilateral C4 contusion in the rat.
Setting: University of Florida laboratory in Gainesville, USA.
CNS Neurosci Ther
January 2025
Dongguan Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Tissue Engineering, the First Dongguan Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan, China.
Aims: Neuron death is caused primarily by apoptosis after spinal cord injury (SCI). Autophagy, as a cellular response, can maintain cellular homeostasis to reduce apoptosis. We aimed to investigate the effect and the mechanism of vimentin knockdown on autophagy and neural recovery after SCI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neurosci
January 2025
Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Science, 84510 Bratislava, Slovakia.
Extracellular matrix (ECM) is a network of macromolecules which has two forms - perineuronal nets (PNNs) and a diffuse ECM (dECM) - both influence brain development, synapse formation, neuroplasticity, CNS injury and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. ECM remodeling can influence extrasynaptic transmission, mediated by diffusion of neuroactive substances in the extracellular space (ECS). In this study we analyzed how disrupted PNNs and dECM influence brain diffusibility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Ther
January 2025
Institute of Experimental Medicine CAS, Department of Neuroregeneration, Videnska 1083, 142 20, Prague, Czech Republic. Electronic address:
Neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) lose regenerative potential with maturity, leading to minimal corticospinal tract (CST) axon regrowth after spinal cord injury (SCI). In young rodents, knockdown of PTEN, which antagonises PI3K signalling by hydrolysing PIP3, promotes axon regeneration following SCI. However, this effect diminishes in adults, potentially due to lower PI3K activation leading to reduced PIP3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
January 2025
Department of Preventive Dentistry, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, PR China.
Remineralization is a common strategy for the repair of early demineralized tooth enamels, but the harsh dynamic oral environment often hampers its efficacy. Rapid remineralization is expected to address this challenge, however, the stabilizers of remineralization materials often resist their transformation required for repair. Here, by dissolving the ions of calcium and phosphate in glycerol-dominant solvents, we obtain the calcium phosphate clusters (1-2 nm), which are stabilized by glycerol (with high viscosity and affinity to clusters), but can perform a fast enamel repair via the water-triggered transformation in both static and dynamic environments.
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