Beneficial effects of αB-crystallin in spinal cord contusion injury.

Abstract

αB-crystallin is a member of the heat shock protein family that exerts cell protection under several stress-related conditions. Recent studies have revealed that αB-crystallin plays a beneficial role in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, brain ischemia, and Alexander disease. Whether αB-crystallin plays a role in modulating the secondary damage after CNS trauma is not known. We report here that αB-crystallin mediates protective effects after spinal cord injury. The levels of αB-crystallin are reduced in spinal cord tissue following contusion lesion. In addition, administration of recombinant human αB-crystallin for the first week after contusion injury leads to sustained improvement in locomotor skills and amelioration of secondary tissue damage. We also provide evidence that recombinant human αB-crystallin modulates the inflammatory response in the injured spinal cord, leading to increased infiltration of granulocytes and reduced recruitment of inflammatory macrophages. Furthermore, the delivery of recombinant human αB-crystallin promotes greater locomotor recovery even when the treatment is initiated 6 h after spinal cord injury. Our findings suggest that administration of recombinant human αB-crystallin may be a good therapeutic approach for treating acute spinal cord injury, for which there is currently no effective treatment.

• Authors: Armelle Klopstein, Eva Santos-Nogueira, Isaac Francos-Quijorna, Adriana Redensek, Samuel David, Xavier Navarro, Rubèn López-Vales
• Journal: The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience (J Neurosci) Vol. 32 Issue 42 Pg. 14478-88 (Oct 17 2012) ISSN: 1529-2401 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 23077034 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Inflammation Mediators
• Recombinant Proteins
• alpha-Crystallin B Chain

Topics

• Animals
• Cell Migration Inhibition (physiology)
• Down-Regulation (physiology)
• Female
• Granulocytes (pathology)
• Humans
• Inflammation Mediators (therapeutic use)
• Macrophages (pathology)
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• Rats
• Recombinant Proteins (therapeutic use)
• Spinal Cord Injuries (metabolism, pathology, therapy)
• Treatment Outcome
• Up-Regulation (physiology)
• alpha-Crystallin B Chain (antagonists & inhibitors, biosynthesis, therapeutic use)