Step On a Crack, You’ll Break Your Mother’s Back: Neural Regeneration Following a Spinal Cord Injury

If in your childhood you heard “Step on a crack, you’ll break your mother’s back” you knew that when you came across any cracks in the sidewalk, you would have to jump and skip over them as a game. Luckily, nothing would actually happen if you accidentally stepped on any crevice, but even the thought of seeing yourself step on one made your heart skip a beat out of superstition. Now that we all have outgrew these games, we understand “breaking the back”, more specifically the spinal cord, is a serious injury. Many of these injuries are caused by a serious car accident, contact sports,

a fall, or from forms of violence. Although the damage can be temporary, a majority of the injuries are long term and include nerve damage, loss of muscle control, and paralysis. Because cells in the central nervous system are incapable of self-repair and growth, injuries to the spinal cord have been known to be irreversible. Currently, treatment only consists of physical therapy, use of wheelchairs, and other movement promoting tools to help but not cure the damaged spinal cord. However, in September of 2016, researchers have discovered a way to promote regeneration after an injury in the central nervous system.

Researchers Shukui Yu, Shenglian Yao, Yujun Wen, Ying Wang, Hao Wang and Qunyuan Xu from Beijing, China combined their methods and knowledge of genetics and neuroscience to uncover a way to treat damaged areas in the central nervous system. The team used a method of injecting major angiogenic factors in polymer-based microspheres in rats because the microspheres allow continual release of the factors as it degrades slowly at the site. By using rats as a model in the lab, it was discovered that the microspheres can be injected into the epicenter of the spinal cord injury can increase cell regeneration and recovery in neurologic functions. This developing approach with angiogenic concentrated drugs may be very promising for future research and treatment.

Mending the Cracks

The three angiogenic factors put to the test in this study were vascular endothelial growth factor

(VEGF), angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), and basic fibroblast growth factors (bFGF). VEGF is known to regulate cell growth in new blood vessels. Once managing this factor in the site of the injury results showed an increase in the amount of tissue that could be saved and density in amount of blood vessels in the area. VEGF works together with Ang-1 which furthers the stability and maturation of blood vessels. The factor bFGF also improved neurologic function and tissue growth in the rat’s spinal cord injury. This was proven by delivering VEGF, Ang-1, and bFGF to the epicenter of the rat’s injury the same day the damage occurred. After three days, the microspheres had released their contents. At the 2-8 week range after the spinal cord injury the levels of the three factors were tested and showed a significant increase in their levels in contrast to the rats that received empty microspheres. Additionally, the number of binding vessels and tubulin cells at the injury site were notably greater. Other investigations consisted of tissue fibers, lesion volume, white matter degeneration, and expression of miR-210. These tests all positively confirmed that the effects of microsphere delivery of VEGF, Ang-1 and bFGF progressed vessel formation, neural regeneration, and motor function of rats after spinal cord Injury.

Breaking New Ground

Based on the positive results of the angiogenic factors there is a promising future for those that will suffer from an injury to the central nervous system. By implementing such a drug with the microspheres that contain VEGF, Ang-1, and bFGF the regeneration of the blood vessels and cells is possible. It will be some time before the victims with spinal cord damage to possibly experience the life they once had before paralysis and other major motor functional loses. Through this project, more doors will be opened to other research possibilities in and outside the field of spinal cord injuries. And by continuing with this research, soon enough your doctor can say “I’ve got your back”.