Effects of local and systemic treatment with human natural killer-1 mimetic peptide (HNK-1) after ventral root avulsion and reimplantation in mice

Spinal ventral root injuries lead to motoneuron degeneration, hindering functional recovery. This study comparatively investigates the effects of local administration of an HNK-1 mimetic peptide (mp-HNK-1) and systemic treatment with ursolic acid (UA) after ventral root avulsion and reimplantation with heterologous fibrin biopolymer (HFB). The experiment involved dividing female mice into five groups: Avulsion, Reimplantation, mp-HNK-1 (in situ), and UA (systemic treatment). The mice were then evaluated 2 and 12 weeks after surgery using functional assessments and analyses of neuronal survival, glial reactions, and synaptic coverage. Ursolic acid (UA) shows promise as a treatment for nerve injuries due to its neuroprotective, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory effects. It promotes motor and sensory recovery, reduces microglial reactions, and decreases reactive astrogliosis, offering a potential therapeutic approach for spinal ventral root injuries.

• 1
  UA treatment led to long-term neuroprotection, decreasing microglial reactions and reactive astrogliosis.
• 2
  UA increased glutamatergic and GABAergic inputs in the ventral spinal cord two weeks after injury, preceding its neuroprotective effects.
• 3
  Functional analysis revealed that UA treatment improved motor and sensory recovery.