Frontiers in Pharmacology (Jun 2020)

CO-Releasing Molecule (CORM)-3 Ameliorates Spinal Cord-Blood Barrier Disruption Following Injury to the Spinal Cord

  • Gang Zheng,
  • Gang Zheng,
  • Fanghong Zheng,
  • Fanghong Zheng,
  • Fanghong Zheng,
  • Zucheng Luo,
  • Zucheng Luo,
  • Haiwei Ma,
  • Haiwei Ma,
  • Dongdong Zheng,
  • Guangheng Xiang,
  • Guangheng Xiang,
  • Cong Xu,
  • Cong Xu,
  • Yifei Zhou,
  • Yifei Zhou,
  • Yifei Zhou,
  • Yaosen Wu,
  • Yaosen Wu,
  • Yaosen Wu,
  • Naifeng Tian,
  • Naifeng Tian,
  • Naifeng Tian,
  • Yan Wu,
  • Tan Zhang,
  • Wenfei Ni,
  • Wenfei Ni,
  • Sheng Wang,
  • Sheng Wang,
  • Sheng Wang,
  • Huazi Xu,
  • Huazi Xu,
  • Huazi Xu,
  • Xiaolei Zhang,
  • Xiaolei Zhang,
  • Xiaolei Zhang,
  • Xiaolei Zhang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2020.00761
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11

Abstract

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Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a clinical tough neurological problem without efficient cure currently. Blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) interruption is not only a crucial pathological feature for SCI process but is a possible target for future SCI treatments; however, few treatments have been developed to intervene BSCB. In the present study, we intravenously injected CO-releasing molecule3 (CORM-3), a classical exogenous CO donor, to the rats experiencing SCI and assessed its protection on BSCB integrity in rats. Our results demonstrated that the exogenous increasing of CO by CORM-3 blocked the tight junction (TJ) protein degeneration and neutrophils infiltration, subsequently suppressed the BSCB damage and improved the motor recovery after SCI. And we certified that the CO-induced down-regulation of MMP-9 expression and activity in neutrophil might be associated with the NF-κB signaling. Taken together, our study indicates that CO-releasing molecule (CORM)-3 ameliorates BSCB after spinal cord injury.

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