Chronic spinal cord injury repair by NT3-chitosan only occurs after clearance of the lesion scar

Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 2022 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-022-01010-1 · Published: April 6, 2022

Spinal Cord Injury Biomedical Regenerative Medicine & Stem Cells

Simple Explanation

Spinal cord injury (SCI) often leads to paralysis, and effective treatments are lacking. This study investigates using NT3-chitosan, a biomaterial, to repair chronic SCI in rats. The key finding is that NT3-chitosan is only effective after clearing the lesion scar. Researchers used MR-DTI to monitor changes in the lesion area. They found that removing cystic tissues and trimming scar tissues before applying NT3-chitosan led to neural regeneration and functional recovery. Without scar trimming, NT3-chitosan had little effect. This study suggests that NT3-chitosan can be used for chronic SCI repair after lesion core clearance. MR-DTI can also be used to monitor lesion area and regeneration, potentially aiding clinical studies.

Study Duration

3 months

Participants

48 adult Wistar female rats

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
Clearance of the lesion core (via suction of cystic tissues and trimming of solid scar tissues) before introducing NT3-chitosan led to robust neural regeneration and functional recovery.
2
MR-DTI is a suitable and reliable method for longitudinally monitoring scar formation over time in a noninvasive manner.
3
Trimming of solid scar tissues within the lesion core and thinning of GFAP+ glial scar wall at rostral and causal ends of the lesion core is necessary for chronic-SCI repair.

Research Summary

This study investigates the effectiveness of NT3-chitosan in repairing chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats. The researchers used MR-DTI to monitor lesion area changes and found that NT3-chitosan's effectiveness depends on clearing the lesion scar. The study found that removing cystic tissues and trimming solid scar tissues before applying NT3-chitosan led to neural regeneration and functional recovery. In contrast, only removing cystic tissues without scar trimming yielded minimal regeneration. The findings suggest that NT3-chitosan can enable chronic SCI repair after lesion core clearance, and MR-DTI can be used to monitor lesion area and regeneration. This research provides a foundation for clinical trials using NT3-chitosan to treat subacute or chronic SCI.

Practical Implications

Clinical Trial Design

MR-DTI can be used for patient enrollment in clinical trials to ensure similar degrees of damage among participants.

Surgical Guidance

MR-DTI imaging can guide the surgical clearance of the lesion core to create space for introducing NT3-chitosan.

Therapeutic Strategy

NT3-chitosan, after proving safe, should be ready for clinical trials to treat subacute and chronic SCI.

Study Limitations

1
Rat chronic-SCI models were used, and translation to human clinical settings needs further validation.
2
The study primarily used female rats, and gender differences might influence the findings.
3
The long-term effects and complete reversal of caudal spinal cord atrophy with NT3-chitosan require further investigation.

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