Repulsive guidance molecule (RGM) is a protein implicated in both axonal guidance and neural tube closure. We report RGMa as a potent inhibitor of axon regeneration in the adult central nervous system (CNS). RGMa inhibits mammalian CNS neurite outgrowth by a mechanism dependent on the activation of the RhoA-Rho kinase pathway. RGMa expression is observed in oligodendrocytes, myelinated fibers, ...

We subjected rats to either partial midcervical or complete upper thoracic spinal cord transections and examined whether combinatorial treatments support motor axonal regeneration into and beyond the lesion. Subjects received cAMP injections into brainstem reticular motor neurons to stimulate their endogenous growth state, bone marrow stromal cell grafts in lesion sites to provide permissive ma...

INTRODUCTION: Several experimental studies suggest that growth hormone-based therapies have the potential to accelerate and augment axonal regeneration while simultaneously act directly on muscle and Schwann cells (SCs) to minimize denervation atrophy prior to re-innervation. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of growth hormone (GH) therapy on preventing the deleterious effects ...

The interplay between growing axons and the extracellular substrate is pivotal for directing axonal outgrowth during development and regeneration. Here we show an important role for the neuronal cell adhesion molecule a7b1 integrin during peripheral nerve regeneration. Axotomy led to a strong increase of this integrin on regenerating motor and sensory neurons, but not on the normally nonregener...

As a secreted axon guidance molecule, Netrin-1 has been documented to be a neuroprotective factor, which can reduce infarct volume, promote angiogenesis and anti-apoptosis after stroke in rodents. However, its role in axonal regeneration and synaptic formation after cerebral ischemic injury, and the related underlying mechanisms remain blurred. In this study, we used Adeno-associated vectors ca...

The retina has been regarded as 'an approachable part of the brain' for investigating central nervous system (CNS). The optic nerve injury is a well-accepted model to study the mechanisms of neural degeneration and/or axonal regeneration after trauma in the CNS. Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous messenger molecule biosynthesized from L-arginine and molecular oxygen by NO synthase. Many reports sug...

The new immunosuppressant drug FK506 (Tacrolimus) increases the rate of nerve regeneration in vivo (Gold et al., 1994; Gold et al., 1995). In the present study, we have examined the dose-dependence of FK506's ability to enhance nerve regeneration. In the first set of experiments, rats received daily s.c. injections of FK506 (2 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg) for 18 days after a sciatic nerve crush ...

BACKGROUND Tissue-engineered nerve scaffolds hold great potential in bridging large peripheral nerve defects. However, insufficient vascularization of nerve scaffolds limited neural tissues survival and regeneration, which hampered the successful implantation and clinical application of nerve scaffolds. The omentum possesses a high vascularization capacity and enhances regeneration and maturati...

Successful nerve regeneration after nerve trauma is not only important for the restoration of motor and sensory functions, but also to reduce the potential for abnormal sensory impulse generation that can occur following neuroma formation. Satisfying functional results after severe lesions are difficult to achieve and the development of interventional methods to achieve optimal functional recov...

In this study, we tested the hypothesis that TO901317 promotes synapse plasticity and axonal regeneration after stroke. Adult male C57BL/6J mice were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) and treated with or without TO901317 starting 24 h after MCAo daily for 14 days. Axonal damage and regeneration were evaluated by immunostaining. TO901317 significantly increased synaptophysin e...