title: The dual role of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the pathophysiology of spinal cord injury.
abstract: Recent studies have demonstrated that tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is one of the most important mediators in spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the role of TNF-alpha in this process is still under debate due to conflicting evidence. Here, we utilized TNF-alpha transgenic (tg) rats and wild-type (wt) littermates to further investigate the role of TNF-alpha in SCI. We observed that, in the acute phase post-SCI (< or =3 days), TNF-alpha tg rats showed higher expression of TNF-alpha protein and more apoptotic cells in the spinal cord than wt rats, while in the chronic period (> or =7 days), TNF-alpha tg rats exhibited persistent baseline level of TNF-alpha protein, better tissue healing, and more activated astrocytes in the border of the lesion than wt rats. These data further demonstrate that TNF-alpha plays a dual role in SCI and its role probably depends on when it is released after SCI and on which cellular population it acts on.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, 107 Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong 250012, PR China.
authors.forename: Ling-Yi
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Xin-Gang
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shu-Gan
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kindy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005911:Gliosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha