Journal of Neuroinflammation, 2019 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-019-1613-2 · Published: October 9, 2019
Following a spinal cord injury (SCI), oligodendrocytes (OLs) can die, leading to demyelination and permanent neurological issues. This study investigates whether quercetin, known for its anti-inflammatory properties, can prevent OLs from dying and reduce the immune response mediated by M1 macrophages/microglia after SCI. The study demonstrated that quercetin treatment improved functional recovery in rats after SCI. It was found that quercetin significantly reduced necroptosis of OLs after SCI without influencing apoptosis and regeneration of OLs. Also, myelin loss and axon loss were significantly reduced in quercetin-treated rats, as compared to SCI + saline control. The study also revealed that quercetin could suppress macrophages/microglia polarized to M1 phenotype through inhibition of STAT1 and NF-κB pathway in vivo and in vitro, which contributes to the decreased necroptosis of OLs. This suggests that targeting necroptosis of OLs could be a potential therapeutic strategy for clinical SCI.
Necroptosis of OLs may be a potential therapeutic target for clinical SCI.
Quercetin or similar compounds could be explored for drug development to treat spinal cord injuries.
Quercetin could be considered as a supplementary treatment to promote functional recovery after SCI.