Qingqin Xu , Zhongfu Zhang , Yuqing Zhai , Ji Chen , Jianhua Xu , Hemu Chen , Jianwei Lu
{"title":"经颅磁刺激通过减弱血脊髓屏障破坏和减少炎症反应改善脊髓损伤大鼠的运动功能","authors":"Qingqin Xu , Zhongfu Zhang , Yuqing Zhai , Ji Chen , Jianhua Xu , Hemu Chen , Jianwei Lu","doi":"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111385","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Previous therapies for spinal cord injury (SCI) typically focus on the lesion site, neglecting the interconnected brain areas. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an emerging non-invasive neuromodulation technique, demonstrating potential in modulating the primary motor cortex to enhance SCI recovery.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The modified Allen's method was used to establish an SCI rat model. High-frequency repetitive TMS (HF-rTMS) intervention was initiated on the second day after modeling and continued for 56 days. Bioinformatics analysis identified key genes involved in the SCI pathological process, including MMP9, IL-1β, and IL-18. This study explored the functions and mechanisms of these genes in HF-rTMS-mediated motor recovery in SCI rats.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Western blotting reveals that HF-rTMS decreases active-MMP9/pro-MMP9, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-18 proteins' expression, while increases β-DG, Occludin, Claudin-5, and ZO-1 proteins' expression in injured spinal cord (<em>P</em> < 0.001). Immunofluorescence staining further shows that HF-rTMS reduces MMP9 positive cells, while enhances Occludin, Claudin-5, and ZO-1 positive cells (<em>P</em> < 0.001). Evans Blue staining indicates that HF-rTMS reduces blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) permeability following injury, while ELISA results demonstrate that HF-rTMS attenuates serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Motor-evoked potentials (MEP) assessment, HE staining, and BBB score show that HF-rTMS shortens MEP latency, enhances MEP amplitude, reduces spinal cord damage and improves motor function (<em>P</em> < 0.001).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>These findings reveal that HF-rTMS may be associated with suppressing MMP9 activation, protecting tight junction proteins, diminishing basement membrane destruction, and maintaining BSCB integrity. Simultaneously, it may alleviate pro-inflammatory cytokine-induced inflammation, thereby reducing spinal cord tissue damage and promoting motor recovery after SCI.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9302,"journal":{"name":"Brain Research Bulletin","volume":"226 ","pages":"Article 111385"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Transcranial magnetic stimulation through attenuating blood-spinal cord barrier disruption and reducing inflammatory response to improve motor function in rats with spinal cord injury\",\"authors\":\"Qingqin Xu , Zhongfu Zhang , Yuqing Zhai , Ji Chen , Jianhua Xu , Hemu Chen , Jianwei Lu\",\"doi\":\"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111385\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Previous therapies for spinal cord injury (SCI) typically focus on the lesion site, neglecting the interconnected brain areas. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an emerging non-invasive neuromodulation technique, demonstrating potential in modulating the primary motor cortex to enhance SCI recovery.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The modified Allen's method was used to establish an SCI rat model. High-frequency repetitive TMS (HF-rTMS) intervention was initiated on the second day after modeling and continued for 56 days. Bioinformatics analysis identified key genes involved in the SCI pathological process, including MMP9, IL-1β, and IL-18. This study explored the functions and mechanisms of these genes in HF-rTMS-mediated motor recovery in SCI rats.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Western blotting reveals that HF-rTMS decreases active-MMP9/pro-MMP9, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-18 proteins' expression, while increases β-DG, Occludin, Claudin-5, and ZO-1 proteins' expression in injured spinal cord (<em>P</em> < 0.001). Immunofluorescence staining further shows that HF-rTMS reduces MMP9 positive cells, while enhances Occludin, Claudin-5, and ZO-1 positive cells (<em>P</em> < 0.001). Evans Blue staining indicates that HF-rTMS reduces blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) permeability following injury, while ELISA results demonstrate that HF-rTMS attenuates serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Motor-evoked potentials (MEP) assessment, HE staining, and BBB score show that HF-rTMS shortens MEP latency, enhances MEP amplitude, reduces spinal cord damage and improves motor function (<em>P</em> < 0.001).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>These findings reveal that HF-rTMS may be associated with suppressing MMP9 activation, protecting tight junction proteins, diminishing basement membrane destruction, and maintaining BSCB integrity. Simultaneously, it may alleviate pro-inflammatory cytokine-induced inflammation, thereby reducing spinal cord tissue damage and promoting motor recovery after SCI.</div></div>\",\"PeriodicalId\":9302,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Brain Research Bulletin\",\"volume\":\"226 \",\"pages\":\"Article 111385\"},\"PeriodicalIF\":3.7000,\"publicationDate\":\"2025-05-13\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Brain Research Bulletin\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"3\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0361923025001972\",\"RegionNum\":3,\"RegionCategory\":\"医学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q2\",\"JCRName\":\"NEUROSCIENCES\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Brain Research Bulletin","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0361923025001972","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"NEUROSCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
Transcranial magnetic stimulation through attenuating blood-spinal cord barrier disruption and reducing inflammatory response to improve motor function in rats with spinal cord injury
Background
Previous therapies for spinal cord injury (SCI) typically focus on the lesion site, neglecting the interconnected brain areas. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an emerging non-invasive neuromodulation technique, demonstrating potential in modulating the primary motor cortex to enhance SCI recovery.
Methods
The modified Allen's method was used to establish an SCI rat model. High-frequency repetitive TMS (HF-rTMS) intervention was initiated on the second day after modeling and continued for 56 days. Bioinformatics analysis identified key genes involved in the SCI pathological process, including MMP9, IL-1β, and IL-18. This study explored the functions and mechanisms of these genes in HF-rTMS-mediated motor recovery in SCI rats.
Results
Western blotting reveals that HF-rTMS decreases active-MMP9/pro-MMP9, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-18 proteins' expression, while increases β-DG, Occludin, Claudin-5, and ZO-1 proteins' expression in injured spinal cord (P < 0.001). Immunofluorescence staining further shows that HF-rTMS reduces MMP9 positive cells, while enhances Occludin, Claudin-5, and ZO-1 positive cells (P < 0.001). Evans Blue staining indicates that HF-rTMS reduces blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) permeability following injury, while ELISA results demonstrate that HF-rTMS attenuates serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Motor-evoked potentials (MEP) assessment, HE staining, and BBB score show that HF-rTMS shortens MEP latency, enhances MEP amplitude, reduces spinal cord damage and improves motor function (P < 0.001).
Conclusion
These findings reveal that HF-rTMS may be associated with suppressing MMP9 activation, protecting tight junction proteins, diminishing basement membrane destruction, and maintaining BSCB integrity. Simultaneously, it may alleviate pro-inflammatory cytokine-induced inflammation, thereby reducing spinal cord tissue damage and promoting motor recovery after SCI.
期刊介绍:
The Brain Research Bulletin (BRB) aims to publish novel work that advances our knowledge of molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie neural network properties associated with behavior, cognition and other brain functions during neurodevelopment and in the adult. Although clinical research is out of the Journal''s scope, the BRB also aims to publish translation research that provides insight into biological mechanisms and processes associated with neurodegeneration mechanisms, neurological diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders. The Journal is especially interested in research using novel methodologies, such as optogenetics, multielectrode array recordings and life imaging in wild-type and genetically-modified animal models, with the goal to advance our understanding of how neurons, glia and networks function in vivo.