Transplantation of A2 type astrocytes promotes neural repair and remyelination after spinal cord injury

• Published in: Cell communication and signaling Vol. 21; no. 1; pp. 37 - 20
• Main Authors: Chang, Jie, Qian, Zhanyang, Wang, Binyu, Cao, Jiang, Zhang, Sheng, Jiang, Fan, Kong, Renyi, Yu, Xiao, Cao, Xiaojian, Yang, Lei, Chen, Hongtao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BioMed Central 16.02.2023; BMC
• Subjects: A2 astrocyte; Animals; Antibodies; Apoptosis; Astrocytes; Astrocytes - metabolism; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cell Biology; Cells; Central nervous system; Contusions; Cytokines and Growth Factors; Electron microscopy; Homeostasis; Interleukin 4; Interleukin-4 - pharmacology; Lesions; Life Sciences; Lipopolysaccharides; Mice; Microglia; Myelin; Myelination; Neural repair; Neuronal-glial interactions; Neurons; Neuroprotection; Neurotoxicity; Neurotrophic factors; Phenotypes; Protein-Ligand Interactions; Proteins; Receptors; Remyelination; Spinal cord injuries; Spinal Cord Injuries - pathology; Spinal Cord Injuries - therapy; Spinal cord injury; Transplantation; New York; United Kingdom > UK; United States > US; China; New Jersey; Germany; A2 astrocyte; Neural repair; Spinal cord injury; Remyelination
• ISSN: 1478-811X; 1478-811X
• DOI: 10.1186/s12964-022-01036-6

Background Limited progress in terms of an effective treatment for spinal cord injury (SCI) emphasizes the urgent need for novel therapies. As a vital central nervous system component, the resident astrocytes play crucial roles in regulating recovery after SCI. In this study, recovery after SCI was compared following the transplantation of either A1 or A2 astrocytes. A1 astrocytes are harmful as they upregulate the neurotoxic classical complement cascade genes. Conversely, A2 astrocytes are characterized as neuroprotective as they upregulate the production of many neurotrophic factors. Methods We used different supernatant obtained from microglia stimulated with lipopolysaccharide or interleukin-4 to generate A1 and A2 astrocytes. We detected the influence of astrocytes on neurons by co-culturing A1 and A2 astrocytes with neurons. We transplanted astrocytes into the lesion site of the spinal cord and assessed lesion progression, neural restoration, glia formation and locomotor recovery. Results Astrocytes were polarized into A1 and A2 phenotypes following culture in the supernatant obtained from microglia stimulated with lipopolysaccharide or interleukin-4, respectively. Furthermore, co-culturing A2 astrocytes with neurons significantly suppressed glutamate-induced neuronal apoptosis and promoted the degree of neuron arborization. Transplantation of these A2 astrocytes into the lesion site of the spinal cord of mice significantly improved motor function recovery, preserved spared supraspinal pathways, decreased glia scar deposition, and increased neurofilament formation at the site of injury compared to the transplantation of A1 astrocytes. Additionally, enhanced A2 astrocytes with potentially beneficial A2-like genes were also detected in the A2 group. Moreover, luxol fast blue staining and electron microscopy indicated increased preservation of myelin with organized structure after transplantation of A2 astrocytes than of A1 astrocytes. Conclusions A2 astrocyte transplantation could be a promising potential therapy for SCI. Graphical Abstract -k_-1M1wXF49hQ9JfigvAZ Video abstract