Spinal Cord Crush Injury
Objective: To assess the consequences of selective and conditional ablation of reactive astrocytes after spinal cord injury, measuring tissue disruption, cellular degeneration, wound contraction, and motor deficits in transgenic mice compared to control mice
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Materials1
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Protocol Steps
Animal preparation and grouping
Transgenic mice expressing glial fibrillary acid protein-herpes simplex virus-thymidine kinase transgene and nontransgenic control mice were prepared for spinal cord injury procedures
Note: Two injury severity levels were used: mild (small stab injuries) and moderate (crush injuries)
View evidence from paper
“Mice expressing a glial fibrillary acid protein-herpes simplex virus-thymidine kinase transgene were given mild or moderate SCI”
Mild spinal cord injury - stab injury in control mice
Small stab injuries were induced in control mice, which caused little tissue disruption, little demyelination, no obvious neuronal death, and mild, reversible functional impairments
Note: This served as baseline control for injury response
View evidence from paper
“Small stab injuries in control mice caused little tissue disruption, little demyelination, no obvious neuronal death, and mild, reversible functional impairments”
Mild spinal cord injury - stab injury in transgenic mice with GCV treatment
Equivalent small stab injuries were induced in transgenic mice, which were then treated with ganciclovir to ablate reactive astrocytes. This resulted in failure of blood-brain barrier repair, leukocyte infiltration, local tissue disruption, severe demyelination, neuronal and oligodendrocyte death, and pronounced motor deficits
Note: GCV treatment ablates dividing, reactive astrocytes in the immediate vicinity of injury
View evidence from paper
“Equivalent small stab injuries in transgenic mice given GCV to ablate reactive astrocytes caused failure of blood-brain barrier repair, leukocyte infiltration, local tissue disruption, severe demyelination, neuronal and oligodendrocyte death, and pronounced motor deficits”
Moderate spinal cord injury - crush injury in control mice
Moderate crush injuries were induced in control mice, causing focal tissue disruption and cellular degeneration with moderate, primarily reversible motor impairments
Note: This served as baseline control for moderate injury response
View evidence from paper
“Moderate crush injuries in control mice caused focal tissue disruption and cellular degeneration, with moderate, primarily reversible motor impairments”
Moderate spinal cord injury - crush injury in transgenic mice with GCV treatment
Equivalent moderate crush injuries were induced in transgenic mice combined with ablation of reactive astrocytes via GCV treatment. This resulted in widespread tissue disruption, pronounced cellular degeneration, failure of wound contraction, and severe persisting motor deficits
Note: Ablation of reactive astrocytes significantly worsened injury outcomes compared to control
View evidence from paper
“Equivalent moderate crush injuries combined with ablation of reactive astrocytes caused widespread tissue disruption, pronounced cellular degeneration, and failure of wound contraction, with severe persisting motor deficits”