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Injectable Hydrogel Containing Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid for Anti-neuroinflammatory Therapy After Spinal Cord Injury in Rats

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Abstract

We investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of injectable hydrogel containing tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) in a spinal cord injury (SCI) model. To this end, TUDCA-hydrogel (TC gel) is created by immersing the synthesized hydrogel in a TUDCA solution for 1 h. A mechanical SCI was imposed on rats, after which we injected the TC gel. After the SCI and injections, motor functions and lesions were significantly improved in the TC gel group compared with those in the saline group. The TC gel significantly decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine levels compared with the saline; TUDCA and glycol chitosan-oxidized hyaluronate were mixed at a ratio of 9:1 (CHA) gel independently. In addition, the TC gel significantly suppressed the phosphorylation of extracellular signal–regulated kinase (p-ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK) in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway compared with the saline, TUDCA, and CHA gel independently. It also decreased tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), inflammatory marker, at the injured sites more than those in the saline, TUDCA, and CHA gel groups. In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrate the neuroinflammatory inhibition effects of TC gel in SCI and suggest that TC gel can be an alternative drug system for SCI cases.

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Funding

This work was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT, and future planning (NRF-2016M3A9E8941668).

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  1. Gong Ho Han and Seong Jun Kim contributed equally as the first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 59, Yatap-ro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, 13496, Republic of Korea

    Gong Ho Han, Seong Jun Kim, Wan-Kyu Ko, Daye Lee, In-Bo Han & Seil Sohn

  2. Department of Biomedical Science, CHA University, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea

    Gong Ho Han, Seong Jun Kim, Wan-Kyu Ko & Daye Lee

  3. Department of Dentistry, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea

    Jae Seo Lee & Haram Nah

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  1. Gong Ho Han
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Han, G.H., Kim, S.J., Ko, WK. et al. Injectable Hydrogel Containing Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid for Anti-neuroinflammatory Therapy After Spinal Cord Injury in Rats. Mol Neurobiol 57, 4007–4017 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-020-02010-4

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