open access
Autophagy exerts a protective role in cervical spinal cord injury by microglia inhibition through the nuclear factor kappa-B pathway
Affiliations- Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou, Hebei, China
- Department of Orthopaedics, the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou, Hebei, China
open access
Abstract
Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious trauma to the central nervous system. M1/M2 microglial polarization as well as the following neuroinflammatory response are crucial factors in SCI. Autophagy plays an important role in SCI, but its neuroprotective or neurodegenerative role remains controversial. Materials and methods: Here, we majorly examined the properties of autophagy in SCI and uncovered the regulatory relationship between autophagy and microglial polarization in SCI. Results: In our study, the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) score was declined in SCI. The cervical contusion SCI stimulated a sustaining neuropathic pain-linked phenotype characterized by thermal hyperalgesia as well as mechanical allodynia. It was revealed the structural damage to the spinal cord in SCI. Besides, the expression of microglia markers as well as inflammatory factor were promoted in SCI. Cervical contusion SCI induced autophagy inhibition and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) activation in mice. More importantly, enhanced autophagy induced by rapamycin suppressed the NF-κB pathway and alleviated cervical contusion SCI-induced neurological function damage in mice. Additionally, rapamycin promoted microglia M2 polarization and improved microglia-mediated inflammatory response. Conclusions: In conclusion, our study demonstrated that autophagy played a protective role in cervical SCI by promoting microglia polarization toward M2 through the NF-κB pathway. Our study may provide a novel sight for SCI treatment.
Abstract
Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious trauma to the central nervous system. M1/M2 microglial polarization as well as the following neuroinflammatory response are crucial factors in SCI. Autophagy plays an important role in SCI, but its neuroprotective or neurodegenerative role remains controversial. Materials and methods: Here, we majorly examined the properties of autophagy in SCI and uncovered the regulatory relationship between autophagy and microglial polarization in SCI. Results: In our study, the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) score was declined in SCI. The cervical contusion SCI stimulated a sustaining neuropathic pain-linked phenotype characterized by thermal hyperalgesia as well as mechanical allodynia. It was revealed the structural damage to the spinal cord in SCI. Besides, the expression of microglia markers as well as inflammatory factor were promoted in SCI. Cervical contusion SCI induced autophagy inhibition and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) activation in mice. More importantly, enhanced autophagy induced by rapamycin suppressed the NF-κB pathway and alleviated cervical contusion SCI-induced neurological function damage in mice. Additionally, rapamycin promoted microglia M2 polarization and improved microglia-mediated inflammatory response. Conclusions: In conclusion, our study demonstrated that autophagy played a protective role in cervical SCI by promoting microglia polarization toward M2 through the NF-κB pathway. Our study may provide a novel sight for SCI treatment.
Keywords
spinal cord injury, microglia activation, NF-κB, autophagy
About this articleTitle
Autophagy exerts a protective role in cervical spinal cord injury by microglia inhibition through the nuclear factor kappa-B pathway
Journal
Issue
Vol 83, No 1 (2024): Folia Morphologica
Article type
Original article
Pages
113-124
Published online
2023-05-08
Page views
697
Article views/downloads
489
DOI
Pubmed
Bibliographic record
Folia Morphol 2024;83(1):113-124.
Keywords
spinal cord injury
microglia activation
NF-κB
autophagy
Authors
Baicheng Yang
Xinming Yang
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