Aldynoglia cells and modulation of RhoGTPase activity as useful tools for spinal cord injury repair

Abstract

A combined approach in spinal cord injury (SCI) therapy is the modulation of the cellular and molecular processes involved in glial scarring. Aldaynoglial cells are neural cell precursors with a high capacity to differentiate into neurons, promote axonal growth, wrapping and myelination of resident neurons. These important characteristics of aldaynoglia can be combined with specific inhibition of the RhoGTPase ac-tivity in astroglia and microglia that cause reduction of glial proliferation, retraction of glial cell processes and myelin production by oligodendrocytes. Previously we used experimental central nervous system (CNS) injury models, like spinal cord contusion and striatal lacunar infarction and observed that adminis-tration of RhoGTPase glycolipid inhibitor or aldaynoglial cells, respectively, produced a significant gain of functional recovery in treated animals. The combined therapy with neuro-regenerative properties strategy is highly desirable to treat SCI for functional potentiation of neurons and oligodendrocytes, resulting in better locomotor recovery. Here we suggest that treatment of spinal lesions with aldaynoglia from neu-rospheres plus local administration of a RhoGTPase inhibitor could have an additive effect and promote recovery from SCI.

Keywords

• glial scar; astrocyte; microglia; neurospheres; aldaynoglia; axonal growth; myelination; glycoside inhibitor