Effects of cytokines and chemokines on migration of mesenchymal stem cells following spinal cord injury

This study reviews how certain proteins called cytokines and chemokines affect the movement of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to areas of damage after a spinal cord injury (SCI). MSCs are important because they can help in the healing process. The paper looks at specific cytokines and chemokines like TNF-α, VEGF, HGF, PDGF, bFGF, IGF-1, SDF-1, and MCP-1/3, and examines how they influence MSC migration towards damaged sites. Understanding these interactions could help improve treatments for SCI. The study highlights that pathways such as phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) are very important in how cytokines and chemokines help MSCs move to the injured areas, suggesting these pathways could be targets for improving MSC-based therapies.

• 1
  TNF-α contributes to the induction of targeted migration of MSCs towards damaged sites in the spinal cord, and activates the extracellular signal-regulated kinase and p38 pathways in MSCs.
• 2
  VEGF-A enhances human MSC migration and the promotional effects of VEGF-A on the recovery of neurological function of the spinal cord may therefore be associated with stimulation of the migration of MSCs to the damaged region.
• 3
  HGF regulates MSC migration by c-met and exerts chemotactic effects, contributing to the migration of MSCs to the damaged region, and regulation of the HGF/PI3K/Rac1/ signaling pathway may represent a target for enhancing MSC migration.