npj Regenerative Medicine (Feb 2023)

Delay modulates the immune response to nerve repair

  • Masoud Golshadi,
  • Elaine F. Claffey,
  • Jennifer K. Grenier,
  • Andrew Miller,
  • Michael Willand,
  • Michael G. Edwards,
  • Tim P. Moore,
  • Michael Sledziona,
  • Tessa Gordon,
  • Gregory H. Borschel,
  • Jonathan Cheetham

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41536-023-00285-4
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 1
pp. 1 – 13

Abstract

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Abstract Effective regeneration after peripheral nerve injury requires macrophage recruitment. We investigated the activation of remodeling pathways within the macrophage population when repair is delayed and identified alteration of key upstream regulators of the inflammatory response. We then targeted one of these regulators, using exogenous IL10 to manipulate the response to injury at the repair site. We demonstrate that this approach alters macrophage polarization, promotes macrophage recruitment, axon extension, neuromuscular junction formation, and increases the number of regenerating motor units reaching their target. We also demonstrate that this approach can rescue the effects of delayed nerve graft.