Frontiers in Immunology, 2025 · DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1505755 · Published: January 9, 2025
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) leads to structural and functional damage, with long-term recovery affected by secondary pathological processes. Neuroimmune cells, part of the immune system, significantly influence SCI progression through inflammatory and reparative mechanisms. In the early stages of SCI, the body rapidly activates both local and systemic immune responses. Neutrophils are among the first immune cells to arrive at the injury site. Following SCI, the interplay between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses determines the pathological progression. Pro-inflammatory signals are crucial in the acute phase for initiating the immune response and clearing damaged tissue.
The insights gained from understanding the spatial dynamics of immune cells can be used to develop targeted therapeutic strategies, like pharmacological or gene therapies, to modulate the immune response at specific sites following SCI.
Adapting immunomodulatory therapies, currently used for conditions like multiple sclerosis, could provide a new approach for managing spinal cord injuries by modulating T cell and macrophage activity.
Recognizing that each patient's immune response is unique, developing personalized treatment plans based on the type and severity of the lesion will be critical for future SCI management.