Proteoglycan is a family of glycoproteins which carry covalently-linked glycosaminoglycan chains, such as chondroitin sulfate and heparan sulfate. Proteoglycans are believed to play important roles in morphogenesis and maintenance of various tissues including the central nervous system (CNS) through interactions with cell adhesion molecules and growth factors. In the CNS, a significant amount o...

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been traditionally linked to blood pressure and volume regulation mediated through the angiotensin II (ANG II) type 1 (AT1) receptor. Here we report that ANG II via its ANG II type 2 (AT2) receptor promotes the axonal elongation of postnatal rat retinal explants (postnatal day 11) and dorsal root ganglia neurons in vitro, and, moreover, axonal regeneration...

After spinal cord injury, enzymatic digestion of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans promotes axonal regeneration of central nervous system neurons across the lesion scar. We examined whether chondroitinase ABC (ChABC) promotes the axonal regeneration of rubrospinal tract (RST) neurons following injury to the spinal cord. The effect of a GSK-3beta inhibitor, lithium chloride (LiCl), on the regene...

After traumatic injuries to the nervous system, regrowing axons encounter a complex microenvironment where mechanisms that promote regeneration compete with inhibitory processes. Sprouting and axonal regrowth are key components of functional recovery but are often counteracted by inhibitory molecules. This review covers extracellular matrix molecules that support neuron axonal outgrowth.

To investigate the influences of growth factors on axonal regeneration in the mammalian CNS, we used intracellular tracers to quantitate the effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin (NT)-4/5, or NT-3 on individual retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons in the retinas of adult rats after optic nerve transection. A single injection of BDNF or the prolonged administration of NT...

Neuronal expression of major histocompatibility complex I (MHCI)-related molecules in adults and during CNS diseases is involved in the synaptic plasticity and axonal regeneration with mechanisms either dependent or independent of their immune functions. Motor neurons are highly responsive in triggering the expression of MHCI molecules during normal aging or following insults and diseases, and ...

Axons in the adult CNS have poor ability to grow after injury, impeding functional recovery in patients of spinal cord injury. This has been attributed to both a developmental decline in neuron-intrinsic growth ability and the presence of extrinsic growth inhibitors. We previously showed that genetic deletion of Nogo, an extrinsic inhibitor, promoted axonal sprouting from uninjured corticospina...

BACKGROUND Traumatic optic nerve injury is a leading cause of irreversible blindness across the world and causes progressive visual impairment attributed to the dysfunction and death of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). To date, neither pharmacological nor surgical interventions are sufficient to halt or reverse the progress of visual loss. Axon regeneration is critical for functional recovery of ...

The immune response after neural injury influences the survival and regenerative capacity of neurons. In the primary visual pathway, previous studies have described beneficial effects of macrophages and T-cells in promoting neural survival and axonal regeneration in some rat strains. However, the contributions of specific cell populations to these responses have been unclear. In adult Fischer (...

The current microsurgical gold standard for repairing long gap nerve injuries is the autograft. Autograft provides a protective environment for repair and a natural internal architecture, which is essential for regeneration. Current clinically approved hollow nerve guidance conduits allow provision of this protective environment; however they fail to provide an essential internal architecture t...