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Background/Aims: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious global problem that leads to permanent motor and sensory deficits. This study explores the anti-apoptotic and neuroprotective effects of the natural extract β-elemene in vitro and in a rat model of SCI. Methods: CCK-8 assay was used to evaluate cell viability and lactate dehydrogenase assay was used to evaluate cytotoxicity. A model of cell injury was established using cobalt chloride. Apoptosis was evaluated using a fluorescence-activated cell sorting assay of annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide staining. A rat SCI model was created via the modified Allen’s method and Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) scores were used to assess locomotor function. Inflammatory responses were assessed via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Apoptotic and surviving neurons in the ventral horn were respectively observed via terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining and Nissl staining. Western blotting was used to measure protein expression. Results: β-elemene (20 μg/ml) promoted cell viability by activating phosphorylation of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway. β-elemene reduced CoCl2-induced cellular death and apoptosis by suppressing the expression levels of CHOP, cleaved-caspase 12, 78-kilodalton glucose-regulated protein, cleaved-caspase 3, and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. In the rat model of SCI, Nissl and TUNEL staining showed that β-elemene promoted motor neuron survival and reduced neuronal apoptosis in the spinal cord ventral horn. BBB scores showed that β-elemene significantly promoted locomotor behavioral recovery after SCI. In addition, β-elemene reduced the ELISA-detected secretion of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β. Conclusion: β-elemene reduces neuronal apoptosis by alleviating endoplasmic reticulum stress in vitro and in vivo. In addition, β-elemene promotes locomotor function recovery and tissue repair in SCI rats. Thus, our study provides a novel encouraging strategy for the potential treatment of β-elemene in SCI patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RhoA signaling pathway inhibitors such as Y27632 (a ROCK inhibitor) have recently been applied as treatments for spinal cord injury (SCI) because they promote neurite outgrowth and axonal regeneration in neurons. β-Elemene, a compound that is extracted from a natural plant (Curcuma zedoary), influences the expression level of RhoA protein. Whether it can promote neurite outgrowth in motor neurons or enhance locomotor recovery in SCI remains unclear. Here, we initially demonstrated that β-elemene promotes neurite outgrowth of ventral spinal cord 4.1 (VSC4.1) motoneuronal cells and primary cortical neurons. Pull-down assays showed that β-elemene significantly inhibits the activation of RhoA kinase. Western blotting assays suggested β-elemene markedly inhibits the phosphorylation of limk and confilin and significantly increases the expression level of GAP-43. Then, in a rat model of SCI, hematoxylin-eosin and myelin staining showed that β-elemene reduces the area of lesion cavity and spares the white matter. BBB scores showed β-elemene significantly promotes locomotor behavioral recovery. In addition, western blotting assays and immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that the expression level of GAP-43 is upregulated by β-elemene treatment in vivo . Thus, our study provided an encouraging novel strategy for the potential treatment of SCI patients with β-elemene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to irreversible neuronal loss and ultimately leads to paralysis. Bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have been demonstrated to be an effective approach to treat SCI. The present study was designed to investigate the role of BMSCs in rats with spinal cord injury and in oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) treated motor neurons. The results demonstrated that BMSCs could improve locomotor function and decrease expression of pro-apoptotic transcription factor C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) and apoptosis after SCI. Furthermore, co-culture with BMSCs or conditioned medium from BMSCs could also decrease the expression of CHOP and apoptosis in post-OGD motor neurons, supporting that BMSCs exerts protective effects by decreasing the expression of CHOP in injured motor neurons. Our findings provide a potential novel mechanism for BMSCs treatments in patients with SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The apoptosis-related circRNAs in SCI were predicted by bioinformatics analysis. • Knockdown of cicRNA.7079 enhanced apoptosis in NSC-34 cells. • The apoptosis-related circRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA network was constructed. • cicRNA.7079 plays an anti-apoptotic role via mmu-miR-6953-5p-Lgals3 axis in NSC-34 cells. Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) can lead to motor disturbance, sensory deficit, or autonomic dysfunction. The role of circRNAs in the pivotal physiopathological processes of SCI has been demonstrated recently. However, no similar research has been performed to explore the circRNAs involved in apoptosis after SCI. The differentially expressed circRNAs in mice spinal cord three days after SCI were originally detected with microarray assay (n = 4/group). Subsequently, potential apoptosis-related circRNAs were predicted by comprehensive bioinformatics analysis. In total, 1131 circRNAs varied (>2-fold change, p < 0.05) in the injured mice spinal cord. The characters of these circRNAs were summarized. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis was applied to predict the primary function of these circRNAs. 148 circRNAs were found to be correlated to the apoptosis injury progress in after SCI. Moreover, an apoptosis-related ceRNA network was constructed. In loss-of-function experiments, cicRNA.7079 knockdown enhanced apoptosis in NSC-34 motor neurons. This study may contribute to new insights into the mechanism of apoptosis after SCI. The anticipation of anti-apoptosis circRNA. 7079 may provide potential research targets for SCI in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • PCL film shows no toxic, neuron adhension characteristic. • MDL28170(<50 μM) increases VSC4.1 motor neuronal cell viability in vitro. • MDL28170-loaded PCL film slowly releases MDL28170. • MDL28170-loaded PCL film improves functional recovery in SCI rats. Abstract Neuronal death and organization degeneration can happen inordinately after spinal cord injury (SCI), which lead to nerve dysfunction. We aimed to determine whether local application of a cell permeable calpain I inhibitor (MDL28170) can promote SCI recovery by increasing neuronal cell viability. MDL28170-loaded polycaprolactone (PCL) film was fabricated. Scanning electron microscopy showed the surface of PCL film was smooth with holes (diameter at μM level). The PCL film was non-toxic, biological compatibility, and had good neuron adhension and slow release characteristic. MDL28170 increased VSC4.1 motor neurons' viability under tunicamycin (an endoplasmic reticulum stress) induced injury. In a traumatic SCI rat model, MDL28170-loaded PCL film reduced the area of lesion cavity, and promoted recovery of locomotor behavior. Moreover, the expression of GAP-43 was upregulated after MDL28170-loaded PCL film treatment. Thus, our findings demonstrated that localized delivery of MDL28170 could promote SCI recovery by inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress, preserving survival of the motor neurons, which may point out a promising therapeutic target for treating SCI patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinal cord injury (SCI) can change the intestinal microbiota pattern and corresponding metabolites, which in turn affect the prognosis of SCI. Among many metabolites, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are critical for neurological recovery after SCI. Recent research has shown that resveratrol exerts anti-inflammatory properties. But it is unknown if the anti-inflammatory properties of resveratrol are associated with intestinal microbiota and metabolites. We thus investigate the alteration in gut microbiota and the consequent change of SCFAs following resveratrol treatment. The SCI mouse models with retention of gut microbiota (donor) and depletion of gut microbiota (recipient) were established. Fecal microbiota transplantation from donors to recipients was performed with intragastrical administration. Spinal cord tissues of mice were examined by H&E, Nissl, and immunofluorescence stainings. The expressions of the inflammatory profile were examined by qPCR and cytometric bead array. Fecal samples of mice were collected and analyzed with 16S rRNA sequencing. The results showed that resveratrol inhibited the microglial activation and promoted the functional recovery of SCI. The analysis of intestinal microbiota and metabolites indicated that SCI caused dysbiosis and the decrease in butyrate, while resveratrol restored microbiota pattern, reversed intestinal dysbiosis, and increased the concentration of butyrate. Both fecal supernatants from resveratrol-treated donors and butyrate suppressed the expression of pro-inflammatory genes in BV2 microglia. Our result demonstrated that fecal microbiota transplantation from resveratrol-treated donors had beneficial effects on the functional recovery of SCI. One mechanism of resveratrol effects was to restore the disrupted gut microbiota and butyrate. [Display omitted] • Resveratrol reduced the microglial activation, and promoted the functional recovery after SCI. • Resveratrol altered intestinal microbiota composition, and increased the concentration of butyrate after SCI. • Both fecal supernatants from the resveratrol-treated SCI mice and butyrate suppressed the microglial activation of in vitro. • Fecal microbiota transplantation reduced the microglial activation, and promoted the prognosis after SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]