Mitochondrial regulatory mechanisms in spinal cord injury A narrative review

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe central nervous system injury that results in the permanent loss of motor, sensory, and autonomic functions below the level of injury with limited recovery. Secondary injury impairs the ability of the mitochondria to maintain homeostasis and leads to calcium overload, excitotoxicity, and oxidative stress, further exacerbating the injury. Treatment of spinal cord injury by preserving mitochondrial biological function is a promising, although still underexplored, therapeutic strategy.

• 1
  Mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated in the initiation of neuronal damage during spinal cord ischemia and subsequent damage to the mitochondria and neuronal cell death.
• 2
  Mitochondria play an essential role in the repair, regeneration, elongation, and branching of axons following injury.
• 3
  The shape and number of mitochondria can be regulated through fission and fusion, maintaining normal cellular physiology.