Astrocytic and Vascular Remodeling in the Injured Adult Rat Spinal Cord after Chondroitinase ABC Treatment

Following a spinal cord injury (SCI), axons often fail to regenerate due to the build-up of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPG). This study examines how treatment with chondroitinase ABC (ChABC), an enzyme that breaks down CSPGs, affects astrocyte behavior and blood vessel regrowth, both of which are crucial for axon regeneration. The research found that ChABC treatment effectively cleared CSPGs, stimulated axon remodeling, and caused astrocytes to reorient towards the injury site, working in tandem with axons. Additionally, it initially disrupted blood vessel structure but later promoted the formation of healthy new vessels. The findings suggest that ChABC, when combined with other treatments, holds promise as a therapeutic approach for SCI repair by reducing the physical and chemical barriers to axon regrowth.

• 1
  ChABC treatment effectively cleaves CSPG glycosaminoglycan chains and stimulates axonal remodeling within the injury site, accompanied by an extended period of astrocyte remodeling.
• 2
  ChABC treatment favored an orientation of astrocytic processes directed toward the injury, in close association with axons at the lesion entry zone, suggesting a correlation between axon and astrocyte remodeling.
• 3
  During the first weeks post-injury, ChABC treatment affected the morphology of laminin-positive blood vessel basement membranes and vessel-independent laminin deposits, but at later time points, laminin expression increased and became more directly associated with newly formed blood vessels.