Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a complex debilitating condition leading to permanent life-long neurological deficits. The complexity of SCI suggests that a concerted multi-targeted therapeutic approach is warranted to optimally improve function. Damage to spinal cord is complicated by an increased detrimental response from secondary injury factors mediated by activated glial cells and infiltrating macrophages. While elevation of enolase especially Neuron Specific Enolase (NSE) in glial and neuronal cells is believed to trigger inflammatory cascades in acute SCI, alteration of NSE and its subsequent effects in acute SCI remains unknown. This study measured NSE expression levels and key inflammatory mediators after acute SCI and investigated the role of ENOblock, a novel small molecule inhibitor of enolase, in a male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat SCI model. Serum NSE levels as well as cytokines/chemokines and metabolic factors were evaluated in injured animals following treatment with vehicle alone or ENOblock using Discovery assay. Spinal cord samples were also analyzed for NSE and MMPs 2 and 9 as well as glial markers by Western blotting. The results indicated a significant decrease in serum inflammatory cytokines/chemokines and NSE, alterations of metabolic factors and expression of MMPs in spinal cord tissues after treatment with ENOblock (100μg/kg, twice). These results support the hypothesis that activation of glial cells and inflammation status can be modulated by regulation of NSE expression and activity. Analysis of SCI tissue samples by immunohistochemistry confirmed that ENOblock decreased gliosis which may have occurred through reduction of elevated NSE in rats. Overall, elevation of NSE is deleterious as it promotes extracellular degradation and production of inflammatory cytokines/chemokines and metabolic factors which activates glia and damages neurons. Thus, reduction of NSE by ENOblock may have potential therapeutic implications in acute SCI.

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Members of the family of Fc receptor-like (FcRL) proteins, homologous to FcγRI, have been identified by multiple research groups. Consequently, they have been described using multiple nomenclatures including Fc receptor homologs (FcRH), immunoglobulin superfamily receptor translocation-associated genes (IRTA), immunoglobulin-Fc-gp42-related genes (IFGP), Src homology 2 domain-containing phosphatase anchor proteins (SPAP), and B cell cross-linked by anti-immunoglobulin M-activating sequences (BXMAS). They are now referred to under a unified nomenclature as FCRL. Eight different human FCRL genes have been identified, all of which appear to be related to the genes of the immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) of cellular adhesion molecules. These type 1 transmembrane glycoproteins are composed of different combinations of 5 types of immunoglobulin-like domains, with each protein consisting of 3 to 9 domains, and no individual domain type conserved throughout all of the FCRL proteins. Ligands for the majority of the FCRLs remain unknown. In general, FCRL expression is restricted to lymphocytes and is primarily expressed in B-lymphocytes, supporting FCRL’s involvement in a variety of immune disorders. Most FCRLs functionally repress B-cell activation; however, they might have dual roles in lymphocyte functions as these proteins often possess immunoreceptor tyrosine activation (ITAM) and inhibitory (ITIM) motif elements. The biological functions of these newly recognized FCRL proteins are just beginning to emerge, and might provide the insight necessary for understanding pathophysiology of lymphocyte disorders and treating different immune diseases.