The present study establishes a technique for the introduction of novel therapeutic agents to treat disc degeneration that may translate to future clinical trials.

Study Design. Laboratory study using a rat T9 contusion model of spinal cord injury (SCI). Objective. The purpose of this study was to evaluate which method of delivery of soluble keratin biomaterials would best support functional restoration through the macrophage polarization paradigm. Summary of Background Data. SCI is a devastating neurologic event with complex pathophysiological mechanisms that currently has no cure. After injury, macrophages and resident microglia are key regulators of inflammation and tissue repair exhibiting phenotypic and functional plasticity. Keratin biomaterials have been demonstrated to influence macrophage polarization and promote the M2 anti-inflammatory phenotype that attenuates inflammatory responses. Methods. Anesthetized female Lewis rats were subjected to moderate T9 contusion SCI and randomly divided into: no therapy (control group), an intrathecally injected keratin group, and a keratin-soaked sponge group (n = 11 in all groups). Functional recovery assessments were obtained at 3- and 6-weeks post-injury (WPI) using gait analysis performed with the DigiGait Imaging System treadmill and at 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 days post-injury by the Basso, Beattie, Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scale. Histology and immunohistochemistry of serial spinal cord sections were performed to assess injury severity and treatment efficacy. Results. Compared to control rats, applying keratin materials after injury improved functional recovery in certain gait parameters and overall trended toward significance in BBB scores; however, no significant differences were observed with tissue analysis between groups at 6 WPI. Conclusion. Results suggest that keratin biomaterials support some locomotor functional recovery and may alter the acute inflammatory response by inducing macrophage polarization following SCI. This therapy warrants further investigation into treatment of SCI. Level of Evidence: N/A

Study Design. Laboratory study using a rat T9 contusion model of spinal cord injury.Objective. This study aims to examine whether a combinatory treatment of Pioglitazone (PGZ) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) can support neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) directly and provide a sustainable microenvironment through immunomodulatory mechanisms. Summary of Background Data. Neuroinflammation plays a crucial role in the progression of spinal cord injury (SCI) and hinders NSPC-mediated repair and regeneration. Broad acting drugs that mitigate inflammation and support NSPC proliferation have not been tested together in SCI research models. Methods. Isolated NSPCs were treated with vehicle control, PGZ, GCSF, or both PGZ and GSCF for 24 hours and stained with proliferation marker Ki67. Adult female Sprague-Dawley rats sustained moderate-to-severe contusion-based SCI at T9 and were administered either vehicle control, PGZ, GCSF, or both PGZ and GCSF treatments. Results. Immunocytochemistry revealed that cultured NSPCs treated with both drugs produced higher numbers of actively proliferating cells and total cell numbers. ELISA on spinal cord tissue lysates at 1, 3, and 7 days post-injury (DPI) demonstrated that animals treated with PGZ, GCSF, or combination therapy showed significantly higher doublecortin levels at 7 DPI compared to control animals (P < 0.05). Immunohistochemistry of injured tissue at 3, 7, and 14 DPI revealed no difference of ependymal NSPC proliferation between groups, but showed a significant decrease in lesion size with combination therapy compared to controls. Functional recovery was assessed by the Basso, Beattie, Bresnahan locomotor rating scale. Animals treated with both drugs had significantly higher levels of function at 1 (P < 0.001), 3 (P < 0.001), 7 (P < 0.05), and 14 (P < 0.05) DPI compared to controls. Conclusion. These results indicate that PGZ and GCSF treatment synergistically enhance NSPCs numbers and improve functional recovery after SCI. Our findings support an immunomodulatory strategy to recruit native NSPCs as a potential acute care intervention for SCI.

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