ArticleExperimental neurology2008
TGF-alpha increases astrocyte invasion and promotes axonal growth into the lesion following spinal cord injury in mice.
Article in Experimental neurology, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 42 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
42 citing papers in PubMed, 71 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mechanisms underpinning spontaneous spinal cord regeneration.Development (Cambridge, England) · 2025Review
- Forced exercise modulates retinal inflammatory response and regulates miRNA expression to promote retinal neuroprotection during degeneration.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- TGFα controls checkpoints in CNS resident and infiltrating immune cells to promote resolution of inflammation.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Engineered bio-functional material-based nerve guide conduits for optic nerve regeneration: a view from the cellular perspective, challenges and the future outlook.Regenerative biomaterials · 2025Review
- Article
- Cytokine polarized, alternatively activated bone marrow neutrophils drive axon regeneration.Nature immunology · 2024Article
- The combination treatment of methylprednisolone and growth factor-rich serum ameliorates the structural and functional changes after spinal cord injury in rat.Spinal cord · 2024Article
- Astrocyte-Neuron Interactions in Spinal Cord Injury.Advances in neurobiology · 2024Review
- Human platelet lysate: a potential therapeutic for intracerebral hemorrhage.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2024Review
- Differentiation of astrocytes with characteristics of ventral midbrain from human embryonic stem cells.Stem cell reviews and reports · 2023Article
- Progenitor-derived glia are required for spinal cord regeneration in zebrafish.Development (Cambridge, England) · 2023Article
- Bystander activation of microglia byFrontiers in immunology · 2023Article
- Neuroprotective astroglial response to neural damage and its relevance to affective disorders.Exploration of neuroprotective therapy · 2023Article
- Gene Therapy Approach with an Emphasis on Growth Factors: Theoretical and Clinical Outcomes in Neurodegenerative Diseases.Molecular neurobiology · 2022Review
- Role of brain-gut-muscle axis in human health and energy homeostasis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2022Review
- Capacity of astrocytes to promote axon growth in the injured mammalian central nervous system.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2022Review
- Review
- Glial Metabolic Rewiring Promotes Axon Regeneration and Functional Recovery in the Central Nervous System.Cell metabolism · 2020Article
- Host-microbiome interactions: the aryl hydrocarbon receptor as a critical node in tryptophan metabolites to brain signaling.Gut microbes · 2020Review
- Gut microbiota regulates neuropathic pain: potential mechanisms and therapeutic strategy.The journal of headache and pain · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Astrocytes respond to environmental cues and play a multifaceted role in the response to trauma in the central nervous system. As the most prevalent contributors to the glial scar, astrocytes are targeted as barriers to regeneration. However, there is also strong evidence that astrocytes are vital for neuroprotection and metabolic support after injury. In addition, consistent with their role during development, astrocytes may be capable of supporting the growth of injured axons. Therefore, we hypothesized that with appropriate stimulation, the reparative functions of endogenous astrocytes could be harnessed to promote axon growth and recovery after spinal cord injury. Transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) is a mitogenic growth factor that is active on astrocytes and is poised to contribute to such a strategy. Recombinant TGF-alpha was administered intrathecally to adult C57BL/6 mice for two weeks following a moderate mid-thoracic spinal cord contusion. By three weeks post-injury, TGF-alpha infusion had not affected locomotor recovery, but promoted extensive axon growth and altered the composition of the lesion site. The center of the lesion in the treated mice contained greater numbers of new cells and increased astrocyte invasion. Despite the expression of inhibitory proteoglycans, there was a marked increase in axons expressing neurofilament and GAP-43 immunoreactivity, and the new axons were closely associated with increased laminin expression within and beyond the astrocyte matrix. The results demonstrate that astrocytes are dynamic players in the response to spinal cord injury, and the growth-supportive role of these cells can be enhanced by TGF-alpha infusion.
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Registered trials
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