Abstract
Inhibitory extracellular matrices form around mature neurons as perineuronal nets containing chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) that limit axonal sprouting after CNS injury. The enzyme chondroitinase (Chase) degrades the inhibitory CSPGs and improves axonal sprouting and functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI) in rodents. We evaluated the effects of Chase in Rhesus monkeys that had undergone C7 spinal cord hemisection. Four weeks after hemisection, multiple intraparenchymal Chase injections targeted spinal cord circuits controlling hand function below the lesion. Hand function improved significantly in Chase-treated monkeys relative to vehicle-injected controls. Moreover, Chase significantly increased corticospinal axon growth and the number of synapses formed by corticospinal terminals in gray matter caudal to the lesion. No detrimental effects were detected. This approach appears to merit clinical translation in SCI.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.