Abstract
Spine cord injury (SCI) leads to devastating functional loss below the level of injury. Partially explained by the presence of a non-permissive environment, the injured spinal cord does not mount adequate regeneration to reestablish functional connections. Therefore, it is important to identify the cellular and molecular factors and their interactions that affect axonal regeneration within the changed environment. This review will discuss the current understanding of the neuronal and glial factors and the extracellular matrix in the spinal cord that inhibit axonal growth, and it will summarize some major approaches for facilitation of regeneration. The strategies are classified into the following categories: penetration of the blood-brain barrier; modulation of caspase activity to reduce apoptosis; stem cells and tissue implantation; administration of neurotrophic factors, including viral vector-mediated delivery; and modulation of the extracellular matrix. Although recent studies on genomic regulation and apoptosis have identified particularly important molecular targets, more is necessary to achieve long-term regeneration. A combination of the approaches targeting various aspects in the regenerating environment would be more effective than a single strategy. Overall, insights arising from the experimental results may eventually lead to better therapeutic intervention so as to lessen the functional disability and enhance the quality of life in patients with SCI.
Keywords: spinal cord injury, regeneration, cytokines, neurotrophic factors, stem cells, extracellular matrix, blood-brain barrier, blood-spinal cord barrier, caspase
Current Pharmaceutical Design
Title: Strategies to Create a Regenerating Environment for the Injured Spinal Cord
Volume: 11 Issue: 10
Author(s): Shulin Xiang, Weihong Pan and Abba J. Kastin
Affiliation:
Keywords: spinal cord injury, regeneration, cytokines, neurotrophic factors, stem cells, extracellular matrix, blood-brain barrier, blood-spinal cord barrier, caspase
Abstract: Spine cord injury (SCI) leads to devastating functional loss below the level of injury. Partially explained by the presence of a non-permissive environment, the injured spinal cord does not mount adequate regeneration to reestablish functional connections. Therefore, it is important to identify the cellular and molecular factors and their interactions that affect axonal regeneration within the changed environment. This review will discuss the current understanding of the neuronal and glial factors and the extracellular matrix in the spinal cord that inhibit axonal growth, and it will summarize some major approaches for facilitation of regeneration. The strategies are classified into the following categories: penetration of the blood-brain barrier; modulation of caspase activity to reduce apoptosis; stem cells and tissue implantation; administration of neurotrophic factors, including viral vector-mediated delivery; and modulation of the extracellular matrix. Although recent studies on genomic regulation and apoptosis have identified particularly important molecular targets, more is necessary to achieve long-term regeneration. A combination of the approaches targeting various aspects in the regenerating environment would be more effective than a single strategy. Overall, insights arising from the experimental results may eventually lead to better therapeutic intervention so as to lessen the functional disability and enhance the quality of life in patients with SCI.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Xiang Shulin, Pan Weihong and Kastin J. Abba, Strategies to Create a Regenerating Environment for the Injured Spinal Cord, Current Pharmaceutical Design 2005; 11 (10) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1381612053507431
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1381612053507431 |
Print ISSN 1381-6128 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-4286 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
"Tuberculosis Prevention, Diagnosis and Drug Discovery"
The Nobel Prize-winning discoveries of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and streptomycin have enabled an appropriate diagnosis and an effective treatment of tuberculosis (TB). Since then, many newer diagnosis methods and drugs have been saving millions of lives. Despite advances in the past, TB is still a leading cause of infectious disease mortality ...read more
Current Pharmaceutical challenges in the treatment and diagnosis of neurological dysfunctions
Neurological dysfunctions (MND, ALS, MS, PD, AD, HD, ALS, Autism, OCD etc..) present significant challenges in both diagnosis and treatment, often necessitating innovative approaches and therapeutic interventions. This thematic issue aims to explore the current pharmaceutical landscape surrounding neurological disorders, shedding light on the challenges faced by researchers, clinicians, and ...read more
Emerging and re-emerging diseases
Faced with a possible endemic situation of COVID-19, the world has experienced two important phenomena, the emergence of new infectious diseases and/or the resurgence of previously eradicated infectious diseases. Furthermore, the geographic distribution of such diseases has also undergone changes. This context, in turn, may have a strong relationship with ...read more
Melanoma and Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment: Standard of Care and Recent Advances
In this thematic issue, we aim to provide a standard of care of the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. The editor will invite authors from different countries who will write review articles of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. The Diagnosis, Staging, Surgical Treatment, Non-Surgical Treatment all ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements
Related Articles
-
Recent Approaches for Studying the Role of Glia
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets Biochemical Markers and Risk Factors of Alzheimers Disease
Current Alzheimer Research Congenital Malformations Attributed to Prenatal Exposure to Cyclophosphamide
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Expression and Function of Cytokines and Chemokines in Neuropsychiatric Related Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Current Rheumatology Reviews Brain Slices as Models for Neurodegenerative Disease and Screening Platforms to Identify Novel Therapeutics
Current Neuropharmacology Neural Stem Cell Transplantation and CNS Diseases
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets <i>In Vivo</i> Longitudinal Monitoring of Changes in the Corpus Callosum Integrity During Disease Progression in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease
Current Alzheimer Research Silimarin and Cancer
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Exploring a Novel Target Treatment on Breast Cancer: Aloe-emodin Mediated Photodynamic Therapy Induced Cell Apoptosis and Inhibited Cell Metastasis
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Autophagy and Cell Death in Caenorhabditis elegans
Current Pharmaceutical Design Organotypic Cultures as Tool to Test Long-Term Effects of Chemicals on the Nervous System
Current Medicinal Chemistry Potassium Channels as Targets for the Management of Pain
Central Nervous System Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Anti-inflammatory and Immune Therapy for Alzheimers Disease: Current Status and Future Directions
Current Neuropharmacology New Development and Application of Ultrasound Targeted Microbubble Destruction in Gene Therapy and Drug Delivery
Current Gene Therapy The Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 Axis and its Potential as a Therapeutic Target in Central Nervous System (CNS) Disorders
Central Nervous System Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels in Neurological Disorders
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets The Role of the Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor STI571 in the Treatment of Cancer
Current Cancer Drug Targets The Evolution of Population Pharmacokinetic Model of Oral Phenytoin for Early Seizure Prophylaxis Post-Craniotomy
Current Drug Metabolism Aluminum Excytotoxicity and NeuroAutotoImmunity: The Role of the Brain Expression of CD32+ (FcγRIIa), ICAM-1+ and CD3ع in Aging
Current Aging Science Pleiotropic Effects of the Rho-kinase Inhibitor Fasudil After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Review of Preclinical and Clinical Studies
Current Vascular Pharmacology