Increasing toll‑like receptor 2 on astrocytes induced by Schwann cell‑derived exosomes promotes recovery by inhibiting CSPGs deposition after spinal cord injury

This study investigates how Schwann cell-derived exosomes (SCDEs) impact recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI) in mice. SCDEs are injected into mice after SCI to observe their effects on astrocytes and the deposition of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs). The research focuses on toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), a protein on astrocytes, and how SCDEs influence its expression. Additionally, the study examines how SCDEs affect the deposition of CSPGs, which inhibit axon growth after SCI. The study also explores the signaling pathways involved in TLR2 activation, particularly the NF-κB/PI3K pathway, and validates these pathways using specific inhibitors. The aim is to understand if SCDEs can promote functional recovery after SCI by modulating TLR2 expression and reducing CSPGs deposition.

• 1
  SCDEs treatment promotes functional recovery and induces TLR2 expression on astrocytes while decreasing CSPGs deposition post-SCI.
• 2
  Specific knockout of TLR2 on astrocytes abolishes the reduction in CSPGs deposition and neurological functional recovery post-SCI, indicating TLR2's crucial role.
• 3
  The NF-κB/PI3K signaling pathway is involved in TLR2 activation, as validated by western blot analysis and the use of the IKKβ inhibitor SC-514.