[ad_1]
The team created the protein and injected it into the animals’ brains, stimulating their nerve cells to regenerate and share a recipe for protein production.
Spinal cord injuries are among the most debilitating. Damaged neuronal outgrowths (axons) may no longer be able to transmit signals between the brain and muscle, often leading to paralysis of the lower extremities. Worse still, these axons cannot regenerate.
Previous studies have shown that it is possible to restore some limb functions by applying spinal stimulation therapy or by avoiding the injury site in general. Other prospective studies in similar areas have used compounds that restore the inhibitory / excitatory signal balance of partially paralyzed mouse neurons, and regenerate nasal nerve cells that are transplanted into the spines of injured dogs.
However, in a new study, researchers at the German Ruhr University of Bochum (RUB) took a different path to repair damaged axons with a protein they call hyperinterleukin-6 (hIL-6). As the name suggests, it is a synthetic version of a natural peptide that has been adapted to promote nerve cell regeneration.
“It does not occur naturally and must be produced through genetic engineering,” says study author Dietmar Fischer.
In the study, the team tested hIL-6 in mice that underwent a complete crush of the spinal cord, which resulted in the loss of function of both hind legs. They packaged genetic instructions for producing hIL-6 into common viral material and injected them into the sensorimotor cortex of mice.
Motor neurons near the injection site began to produce hIL-6 and, through axonal lateral branches, passed instructions to other neurons responsible for actions such as walking. And in fact, even after a single injection, the mice’s hind leg function recovered within a few weeks.
“Thus, the genetic treatment of only a few nerve cells has led to axonal regeneration in several nerve cells in the brain and, at the same time, in various motor pathways in the spinal cord,” says Fischer.
“In the end, he allowed previously paralyzed animals treated with this treatment to start walking after two to three weeks. At first, it was a big surprise for us, because it has never been shown to be possible before total paraplegia. “
As incredible as the results seem, these are clearly the early days of the investigation. The team says the next steps are to examine mice to see if similar results can be achieved if treatment is given a few weeks after injury rather than immediately afterward. We hope that in the long run the results can be adapted to people.
The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.
[ad_2]
