uPA alleviates kaolin-induced hydrocephalus by promoting the release and activation of hepatocyte growth factor in rats

Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Exacerbate Secondary Injury via Promoting Neuroinflammation and Blood-Spinal Cord Barrier Disruption in Spinal Cord Injury

As the first inflammatory cell recruited to the site of spinal cord injury (SCI), neutrophils were reported to be detrimental to SCI. However, the precise mechanisms as to how neutrophils exacerbate SCI remain largely obscure. In the present study, we demonstrated that infiltrated neutrophils produce neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which subsequently promote neuroinflammation and blood–spinal cord barrier disruption to aggravate spinal cord edema and neuronal apoptosis following SCI in rats. Both inhibition of NETs formation by peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) inhibitor and disruption of NETs by DNase 1 alleviate secondary damage, thus restraining scar formation and promoting functional recovery after SCI. Furthermore, we found that NETs exacerbate SCI partly via elevating transient receptor potential vanilloid type 4 (TRPV4) level in the injured spinal cord. Therefore, our results indicate that NETs might be a promising therapeutic target for SCI.

Novel therapeutics for hydrocephalus: Insights from animal models

Hydrocephalus is a cerebrospinal fluid physiological disorder that causes ventricular dilation with normal or high intracranial pressure. The current regular treatment for hydrocephalus is cerebrospinal fluid shunting, which is frequently related to failure and complications. Meanwhile, considering that the current nonsurgical treatments of hydrocephalus can only relieve the symptoms but cannot eliminate this complication caused by primary brain injuries, the exploration of more effective therapies has become the focus for many researchers. In this article, the current research status and progress of nonsurgical treatment in animal models of hydrocephalus are reviewed to provide new orientations for animal research and clinical practice.