scholarly journals The role of the serotonergic system in locomotor recovery after spinal cord injury

Author(s):  
Mousumi Ghosh ◽  
Damien D. Pearse
2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Pelisch ◽  
Jose Rosas Almanza ◽  
Kyle E. Stehlik ◽  
Brandy V. Aperi ◽  
Antje Kroner

Abstract Background Secondary damage after spinal cord injury (SCI) is characterized by a cascade of events including hemorrhage, apoptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammation which increase the lesion size which can influence the functional impairment. Thus, identifying specific mechanisms attributed to secondary injury is critical in minimizing tissue damage and improving neurological outcome. In this work, we are investigating the role of CCL3 (macrophage inflammatory protein 1-α, MIP-1α), a chemokine involved in the recruitment of inflammatory cells, which plays an important role in inflammatory conditions of the central and peripheral nervous system. Methods A mouse model of lower thoracic (T11) spinal cord contusion injury was used. We assessed expression levels of CCL3 and its receptors on the mRNA and protein level and analyzed changes in locomotor recovery and the inflammatory response in the injured spinal cord of wild-type and CCL3−/− mice. Results The expression of CCL3 and its receptors was increased after thoracic contusion SCI in mice. We then examined the role of CCL3 after SCI and its direct influence on the inflammatory response, locomotor recovery and lesion size using CCL3−/− mice. CCL3−/− mice showed mild but significant improvement of locomotor recovery, a smaller lesion size and reduced neuronal damage compared to wild-type controls. In addition, neutrophil numbers as well as the pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, known to play a deleterious role after SCI, were markedly reduced in the absence of CCL3. Conclusion We have identified CCL3 as a potential target to modulate the inflammatory response and secondary damage after SCI. Collectively, this study shows that CCL3 contributes to progressive tissue damage and functional impairment during secondary injury after SCI.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangang Shi ◽  
FanQi Kong ◽  
Kaiqiang Sun ◽  
Jian Zhu ◽  
FuDong Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) causes severe motor dysfunction and persistent central neuropathic pain (Nep) that remains uncured yet. Programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) is typically produced by cancer cells and contributes to the immune-suppressive in tumor microenvironment, and the role of PD-L1 in regulating inflammatory response and Nep after SCI remains unclear. A growing amount of research has begun to investigate the effect of PD-L1 on macrophages and microglia. Considering the pivotal role of macrophages/microglia in the inflammatory response after SCI, we tested the hypothesis that PD-L1 improved the recovery of locomotor and sensory functions after SCI through macrophages and microglia. Methods The mice SCI model was employed to determine the changes in expression patterns of PD-L1. Meanwhile, we constructed PD-L1 knockout mice to observe differences in functional recovery and phenotypes of macrophages/microglia post-SCI. Results In present study, PD-L1 was significantly upregulated after SCI and highly expressed on macrophages/microglia. PD-L1 knockout (KO) mice showed poor locomotor recovery and serious pathological pain compared with wild-type (WT) mice. Furthermore, deletion of PD-L1 significantly increased the polarization of M1-like macrophages/microglia. Mechanistic analysis revealed that PD-L1 may improve functional outcomes following SCI by inhibiting phosphorylation of p38 and ERK1/2. Conclusions Our observations implicate the involvement of PD-L1 in recovery of SCI and provide a new treatment strategy for prevention and treatment of this traumatic condition.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Pelisch ◽  
Jose Rosas Almanza ◽  
Kyle Edward Stehlik ◽  
Brandy V Aperi ◽  
Antje Kroner

Abstract Background: Secondary damage after spinal cord injury (SCI) is characterized by a cascade of events including hemorrhage, apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammation which increase the lesion size which can influence the functional impairment. Thus, identifying specific mechanisms attributed to secondary injury is critical in minimizing tissue damage and improving neurological outcome. In this work, we are investigating the role of CCL3 (Macrophage inflammatory protein 1- α, MIP-1α), a chemokine involved in the recruitment of inflammatory cells, which plays an important role in inflammatory conditions of the central and peripheral nervous system. Methods: A mouse model of lower thoracic (T11) spinal cord contusion injury was used. We assessed expression levels of CCL3 and its receptors on the mRNA and protein level and analyzed changes in locomotor recovery and the inflammatory response in the injured spinal cord of wild-type and CCL3-/- mice.Results: The expression of CCL3 and its receptors is increased after thoracic contusion SCI in mice. We then examined the role of CCL3 after SCI and its direct influence on the inflammatory response, locomotor recovery and lesion size using CCL3 −/− mice. CCL3 −/− mice showed mild but significant improvement of locomotor recovery and a smaller lesion size compared to wild-type controls. In addition, neutrophil numbers as well as the pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, known to play a deleterious role after SCI, were markedly reduced in the absence of CCL3 .Conclusion: We have identified CCL3 as a potential target to modulate the inflammatory response and secondary damage after SCI. Collectively, this study shows that the absence of CCL3 can contribute to reduced tissue damage and better functional recovery during secondary injury after SCI.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fanqi Kong ◽  
Kaiqiang Sun ◽  
Jian Zhu ◽  
Fudong Li ◽  
Feng Lin ◽  
...  

BackgroundTraumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) causes severe motor dysfunction and persistent central neuropathic pain (Nep), which has not yet been effectively cured. Programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) is typically produced by cancer cells and contributes to the immune-suppressive in tumor microenvironment. However, the role of PD-L1 in regulating inflammatory response and Nep after SCI remains unclear. A growing amount of researches have begun to investigate the effect of PD-L1 on macrophages and microglia in recent years. Considering the pivotal role of macrophages/microglia in the inflammatory response after SCI, we proposed the hypothesis that PD-L1 improved the recovery of locomotor and sensory functions after SCI through regulating macrophages and microglia.MethodsThe mice SCI model was established to determine the changes in expression patterns of PD-L1. Meanwhile, we constructed PD-L1 knockout mice to observe differences in functional recovery and phenotypes of macrophages/microglia post-SCI.ResultsIn present study, PD-L1 was significantly upregulated after SCI and highly expressed on macrophages/microglia at the injury epicenter. PD-L1 knockout (KO) mice showed worse locomotor recovery and more serious pathological pain compared with wild-type (WT) mice. Furthermore, deletion of PD-L1 significantly increased the polarization of M1-like macrophages/microglia. Mechanistic analysis revealed that PD-L1 may improve functional outcomes following SCI by inhibiting phosphorylation of p38 and ERK1/2.ConclusionsOur observations implicate the involvement of PD-L1 in recovery of SCI and provide a new treatment strategy for the prevention and treatment of this traumatic condition.


Author(s):  
Jiaqi Bi ◽  
Jianxiong Shen ◽  
Chong Chen ◽  
Zheng Li ◽  
Haining Tan ◽  
...  

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