Jisuikang Promotes the Repair of Spinal Cord Injury in Rats by Regulating NgR/RhoA/ROCK Signal Pathway

[Jisuikang formula promotes spinal cord injury repair in rats by activating the YAP/PKM2 signaling axis in astrocytes]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of Jisuikang formula-medicated serum for promoting spinal cord injury (SCI) repair in rats and explore the possible mechanism.

METHODS

Thirty adult SD rats were randomized into sham-operated group, SCI (induced using a modified Allen method) model group, and Jisuikang formula-medicated serum treatment group. After the operations, the rats were treated with normal saline or Jisuikang by gavage on a daily basis for 14 days, and the changes in hindlimb motor function of the rats was assessed with Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) scores and inclined-plate test. The injured spinal cord tissues were sampled from the SCI rat models for single-cell RNA sequencing, and bioinformatics analysis was performed to identify the target genes of Jisuikang, spinal cord injury and glycolysis. In the cell experiment, cultured astrocytes from neonatal SD rat cortex were treated with SOX2 alone or in combination with Jisuikang-medicated serum for 21 days, and the protein expressions of PKM2, p-PKM2 and YAP and colocalization of PKM2 and YAP in the cells were analyzed with Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining, respectively.

RESULTS

The SCI rats with Jisuikang treatment showed significantly improved BBB scores and performance in inclined-plate test. At the injury site, high PKM2 expression was detected in various cell types. Bioinformatic analysis identified the HIPPO-YAP signaling pathway as the target pathway of Jisuikang. In cultured astrocytes, SOX2 combined with the mediated serum, as compared with SOX2 alone, significantly increased PKM2, p-PKM2 and YAP expressions and entry of phosphorylated PKM2 into the nucleus, and promoted PKM2 and YAP co-localization in the cells.

CONCLUSION

Jisuikang formula accelerates SCI repair in rats possibly by promoting aerobic glycolysis of the astrocytes via activating the PKM2/YAP axis to induce reprogramming of the astrocytes into neurons.

Inhibition of HDAC6 promotes microvascular endothelial cells to phagocytize myelin debris and reduces inflammatory response to accelerate the repair of spinal cord injury

AIMS

To identify an effective strategy for promoting microvascular endothelial cells (MECs) to phagocytize myelin debris and reduce secretion of inflammatory factors following spinal cord injury (SCI).

METHODS

We established a coculture model of myelin debris and vascular-like structures. The efficiency with which MECs phagocytize myelin debris under different conditions was examined via ELISA, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence. Tubastatin-A was used to interfere with the coculture model. The anti-inflammatory effects of Tubastatin-A were observed by HE staining, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, and ELISA.

RESULTS

MECs phagocytized myelin debris via IgM opsonization, and phagocytosis promoted the secretion of inflammatory factors, whereas IgG-opsonized myelin debris had no effect on inflammatory factors. Application of the HDAC6 inhibitor Tubastatin-A increased the IgG levels and decreased the IgM levels by regulating the proliferation and differentiation of B cells. Tubastatin-A exerted a regulatory effect on the HDAC6-mediated autophagy-lysosome pathway, promoting MECs to phagocytize myelin debris, reducing the secretion of inflammatory factors, and accelerating the repair of SCI.

CONCLUSIONS

Inhibition of HDAC6 to regulate the immune-inflammatory response and promote MECs to phagocytize myelin debris may represent a novel strategy in the treatment of SCI.

Effects of albiflorin on oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in rats with acute spinal cord injury

INTRODUCTION

Oxidative stress and inflammatory responses are often the predominant detrimental factors associated with spinal cord injury (SCI). This study investigates the potential therapeutic effects of albiflorin (AF) on alleviating inflammation and oxidative stress in the rat model with SCI.

METHODS

Initially, the behavior of SCI-induced rats is examined by Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan score and the inclined plane examination. Then, the immunohistochemical staining of inflammasome-related protein (for instance, NACHT, LRR, and PYD domains-containing protein 3, NLRP3) is performed in combination with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of corresponding proinflammatory factors to assess the immunomodulatory effects of AF. Further, the markers involved in oxidative stress are examined by ELISA and western blot analysis analyses.

RESULTS

These findings indicated that AF could alleviate motor dysfunction and the loss of neuron cells in SCI-induced rats. Mechanistically, AF could attenuate the inflammatory responses by reducing oxidative stress and activating nuclear erythroid-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) pathway in SCI rats. Depleting the antioxidant capacity by inhibiting glutathione biosynthesis could counteract the anti-inflammatory activity of AF in SCI rats.

CONCLUSIONS

Together, our data suggested that AF could serve as a potential therapeutic agent against the aggravation of SCI in rats.

Iron induces B cell pyroptosis through Tom20-Bax-caspase-gasdermin E signaling to promote inflammation post-spinal cord injury

BACKGROUND

Immune inflammatory responses play an important role in spinal cord injury (SCI); however, the beneficial and detrimental effects remain controversial. Many studies have described the role of neutrophils, macrophages, and T lymphocytes in immune inflammatory responses after SCI, although little is known about the role of B lymphocytes, and immunosuppression can easily occur after SCI.

METHODS

A mouse model of SCI was established, and HE staining and Nissl staining were performed to observe the pathological changes. The size and morphology of the spleen were examined, and the effects of SCI on spleen function and B cell levels were detected by flow cytometry and ELISA. To explore the specific mechanism of immunosuppression after SCI, B cells from the spleens of SCI model mice were isolated using magnetic beads and analyzed by 4D label-free quantitative proteomics. The level of inflammatory cytokines and iron ions were measured, and the expression of proteins related to the Tom20 pathway was quantified by western blotting. To clarify the relationship between iron ions and B cell pyroptosis after SCI, we used FeSO₄ and CCCP, which induce oxidative stress to stimulate SCI, to interfere with B cell processes. siRNA transfection to knock down Tom20 (Tom20-KD) in B cells and human B lymphocytoma cell was used to verify the key role of Tom20. To further explore the effect of iron ions on SCI, we used deferoxamine (DFO) and iron dextran (ID) to interfere with SCI processes in mice. The level of iron ions in splenic B cells and the expression of proteins related to the Tom20-Bax-caspase-gasdermin E (GSDME) pathway were analyzed.

RESULTS

SCI could damage spleen function and lead to a decrease in B cell levels; SCI upregulated the expression of Tom20 protein in the mitochondria of B cells; SCI could regulate the concentration of iron ions and activate the Tom20-Bax-caspase-GSDME pathway to induce B cell pyroptosis. Iron ions aggravated CCCP-induced B cell pyroptosis and human B lymphocytoma pyroptosis by activating the Tom20-Bax-caspase-GSDME pathway. DFO could reduce inflammation and promote repair after SCI by inhibiting Tom20-Bax-caspase-GSDME-induced B cell pyroptosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Iron overload activates the Tom20-Bax-caspase-GSDME pathway after SCI, induces B cell pyroptosis, promotes inflammation, and aggravates the changes caused by SCI. This may represent a novel mechanism through which the immune inflammatory response is induced after SCI and may provide a new key target for the treatment of SCI.

Application of natural antioxidants from traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating central nervous system disease, caused by physical traumas. With the characteristic of high disability rate, catastrophic dysfunction, and enormous burden on the patient’s family, SCI has become a tough neurological problem without efficient treatments. Contemporarily, the pathophysiology of SCI comprises complicated and underlying mechanisms, in which oxidative stress (OS) may play a critical role in contributing to a cascade of secondary injuries. OS substantively leads to ion imbalance, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory cell infiltration, mitochondrial disorder, and neuronal dysfunction. Hence, seeking the therapeutic intervention of alleviating OS and appropriate antioxidants is an essential clinical strategy. Previous studies have reported that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic and neuroprotective effects on alleviating SCI. Notably, the antioxidant effects of some metabolites and compounds of TCM have obtained numerous verifications, suggesting a potential therapeutic strategy for SCI. This review aims at investigating the mechanisms of OS in SCI and highlighting some TCM with antioxidant capacity used in the treatment of SCI.

Using Network Pharmacology to Systematically Decipher the Potential Mechanisms of Jisuikang in the Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury

Objective

To identify the potential pharmacological targets of Jisuikang (JSK) for the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) using network pharmacology.

Methods

The bioactive compounds of JSK herbs and their corresponding potential SCI targets were obtained from three traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) databases. SCI-related therapeutic target genes were obtained from the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database and the GeneCards Database. The common target genes between the JSK compounds and SCI-related therapeutic targets were screened using GO/KEGG functional enrichment and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analyses to identify hub genes and their categories of biological function. Gene expression distribution and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses were used to identify probable SCI-related target genes. Molecular docking was used to quantify molecular interactions between target genes and the bioactive compounds of JSK.

Results

A total of 183 JSK bioactive compounds and 197 target genes for the treatment of SCI were screened and assessed. The target genes were enriched primarily in drug metabolism and in inflammation-related biological processes. Ten genes with statistical significance were identified as therapeutic SCI-related target genes of JSK. Molecular docking experiments demonstrated that the proteins of these 10 genes docked with binding energies of less than −5 kcal/mol with the bioactive compounds in JSK.

Conclusion

This study showed that the anti-SCI effects of JSK may be mediated through numerous bioactive components, multiple gene targets, and inflammation-related pathways and provided potential novel targets for directed therapies for treating SCI. These results provide a foundation for further experimental investigations into treatment options for SCI.

Deciphering Pharmacological Mechanism of Buyang Huanwu Decoction for Spinal Cord Injury by Network Pharmacology Approach

Objective

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism of action of the Chinese herbal formula Buyang Huanwu Decoction (BYHWD), which is commonly used to treat nerve injuries, in the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) using a network pharmacology method.

Methods

BYHWD-related targets were obtained by mining the TCMSP and BATMAN-TCM databases, and SCI-related targets were obtained by mining the DisGeNET, TTD, CTD, GeneCards, and MalaCards databases. The overlapping targets of the abovementioned targets may be potential therapeutic targets for BYHWD anti-SCI. Subsequently, we performed protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis, screened the hub genes using Cytoscape software, performed Gene Ontology (GO) annotation and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, and finally achieved molecular docking between the hub proteins and key active compounds.

Results

The 189 potential therapeutic targets for BYHWD anti-SCI were overlapping targets of 744 BYHWD-related targets and 923 SCI-related targets. The top 10 genes obtained subsequently included AKT1, IL6, MAPK1, TNF, TP53, VEGFA, CASP3, ALB, MAPK8, and JUN. Fifteen signaling pathways were also screened out after enrichment analysis and literature search. The results of molecular docking of key active compounds and hub target proteins showed a good binding affinity for both.

Conclusion

This study shows that BYHWD anti-SCI is characterized by a multicomponent, multitarget, and multipathway synergy and provides new insights to explore the specific mechanisms of BYHWD against SCI.