Nanoparticles will protect against secondary inflammation
In spinal cord injuries, inflammation and scar tissue formation lead to serious secondary nerve damage, which reduces the ability of the nervous system to self-repair. Researchers from Northwestern University in Chicago have demonstrated in experiments on mice that the introduction of biodegradable polymer nanoparticles into the bloodstream can significantly improve recovery results by preventing secondary damage.
With spinal cord injuries, blood cells that normally cannot penetrate the nervous system penetrate through the protective blood-brain barrier and fill the damage zone. Among them are monocytes – cells of the immune system, which in response to damage release so–called pro-inflammatory cytokines - compounds that attract even more pro-inflammatory immune cells to the focus. The result of the developing inflammatory reaction is further damage to the tissue of the central nervous system due to the death of Schwann cells producing myelin – the protective sheath of nerve fibers – and the subsequent death of the neurons themselves. The scar tissue formed in this case prevents the restoration of the conduction of nerve signals.
In earlier works, other groups of researchers tried to solve this problem using various methods. However, these methods not only prevented the penetration of monocytes into the damage zone, but also prevented useful cells from entering there, carrying out its purification and limiting the scarring process. Therefore, they provided only a slight improvement in the healing results.
Unlike previously used approaches, the nanoparticles proposed by the authors selectively bind to inflammation-causing monocytes and redirect them to the spleen.
Therapeutic nanoparticles intended for intravenous administration are extremely stable and can be stored in a syringe, which will allow them to be immediately injected directly at the scene of an accident or in the emergency department.
The poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid used for their manufacture is a biocompatible compound approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the production of absorbable suture material. Moreover, the nanoparticles consisting of it have already been approved as an experimental drug for conducting a new clinical study of celiac disease therapy – gluten intolerance. All this will greatly facilitate the process of preparation for clinical trials and the introduction of the method into clinical practice.
Article by Su Ji Jeong et al. Intravenous immune-modifying nanoparticles as a therapy for spinal cord injury in mice is published in the journal Neurobiology of Disease.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on Neurobiology of Disease: Nanoparticles limit damage in spinal cord injury.
06.09.2017