Identification of Distinct Monocyte Phenotypes and Correlation with Circulating Cytokine Profiles in Acute Response to Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study

After a spinal cord injury (SCI), the body's immune system responds, and cells called macrophages infiltrate the injury site. These macrophages can be pro-inflammatory (M1) or anti-inflammatory (M2). This study looks at monocytes (MOs), which are precursors to macrophages, in the blood of SCI patients. The goal was to see if the type of MOs present in the blood corresponds to the levels of inflammatory substances called cytokines. The study found that SCI patients had different types of MOs in their blood (either M1-dominant or M2-dominant), and these differences were linked to different levels of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines.

• 1
  Patients with SCI exhibit either M1-dominant or M2-dominant circulating monocytes (MOs), which are distinct from uninjured controls.
• 2
  The M1-dominant phenotype was associated with higher circulating levels of pro-inflammatory mediators IL-12p70 and IP-10, and lower levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10, IL-15 and IL-7.
• 3
  Patients with M2-dominant MOs exhibited higher levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and IL-7.