Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the role of blood vessels in spinal cord injury and repair

Abstract

Spinal cord injury causes immediate damage of nervous tissue accompanied by the loss of motor and sensory function. The limited self-repair ability of damaged nervous tissue underlies the need for reparative interventions to restore function after spinal cord injury. Blood vessels play a crucial role in spinal cord injury and repair. Injury-induced loss of local blood vessels and a compromised blood-brain barrier contribute to inflammation and ischemia and thus to the overall damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord. Lack of vasculature and leaking blood vessels impede endogenous tissue repair and limit prospective repair approaches. A reduction of blood vessel loss and the restoration of blood vessels so that they no longer leak might support recovery from spinal cord injury. The promotion of new blood vessel formation (i.e., angio- and vasculogenesis) might aid repair but also incorporates the danger of exacerbating tissue loss and thus functional impairment. The delicate interplay between cells and molecules that govern blood vessel repair and formation determines the extent of damage and the success of reparative interventions. This review deals with the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the role of blood vessels in spinal cord injury and repair.

Effect of lycopene on the blood-spinal cord barrier after spinal cord injury in mice

“…TJs are located at the apical end of the interendothelial space and are connected to adherens junctions near the basal end of the inter-endothelial space (23). TJ proteins, such as transmembrane proteins claudin-5 and the peripheral membrane protein ZO-1, are essential to the normal functioning of TJs (24).…”

Very High Resolution Ultrasound Imaging for Real-Time Quantitative Visualization of Vascular Disruption after Spinal Cord Injury

“…31 This exacerbates the initial injury because the bloodborne species that enter the spinal cord parenchyma are toxic to neural cells and because the progressive and expanding vascular destruction leads to secondary perilesional ischemia.…”

Influence of neural stem cell transplantation on angiogenesis in rats with spinal cord injury

“…Recent studies have indicated that angiogenesis plays a very important role in axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury. In addition to relying on nerve fiber regeneration and synaptic reconstruction, tissue repair and functional recovery after spinal cord injury require nutritional support provided by blood vessels to nourish damaged tissues (Oudega, 2012). Promoting the formation of blood vessels near the site of injury and providing the environment necessary for cell survival may promote axonal regeneration, thereby improving treatment efficacy.…”

“…Damaged nerve tissues have a very limited ability to self-repair, requiring necessary external intervention to restore lost function due to spinal cord injury (Oudega, 2012). Recent studies have indicated that angiogenesis plays a vital role in spinal cord injury repair (Reginato et al, 2011).…”