Abstract
Patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) are permanently paralysed and anaesthetic below the lesion. This morbidity is attributed to the deposition of a dense scar at the injury site, the cellular components of which secrete axon growth inhibitory ligands that prevent severed axons reconnecting with denervated targets. Another complication of SCI is wound cavitation where a fluid filled cyst forms in the peri-lesion neuropil, enlarging over the first few months after injury and causes secondary axonal damage. Wound healing after SCI is accompanied by angiogenesis, which is regulated by angiogenic proteins, produced in response to oxygen deprivation. Necrosis in and about the SCI lesion sites may be suppressed by promoting angiogenesis and the resulting neuropil protection will enhance recovery after SCI. This review addresses the use of angiogenic/wound-healing related proteins including vascular endothelial growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, angiopoietin-1, angiopoietin-2 and transforming growth factor-β to moderate necrosis and axon sparing after SCI, providing a conducive environment for growth essential to functional recovery.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: 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.
