Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research ›› 2025, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (24): 5158-5170.doi: 10.12307/2025.702

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Regulatory mechanisms of the corticospinal tract after spinal cord injury: combined therapeutic strategies targeting transcription factors and signaling pathways 

Guan Zhenjie1, 2, Li Wenyuan1, 2, Geng Rui1, Wang Ying1    

  1. 1Institute of Neural tissue Engineering, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang 157011, Heilongjiang Province, China; 2Mudanjiang Collaborative Innovation Center for the Development and Application of Northern Medicinal Resources, Mudanjiang 157011, Heilongjiang Province, China
  • Received:2024-08-14 Accepted:2024-09-25 Online:2025-08-28 Published:2025-01-24
  • Contact: Wang Ying, PhD, Professor, Institute of Neural tissue Engineering, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang 157011, Heilongjiang Province, China
  • About author:Guan Zhenjie, Master’s candidate, Institute of Neural tissue Engineering, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang 157011, Heilongjiang Province, China; Mudanjiang Collaborative Innovation Center for the Development and Application of Northern Medicinal Resources, Mudanjiang 157011, Heilongjiang Province, China
  • Supported by:
    the National Natural Science Foundation of China (General Program), No. 82371385 (to WY); Heilongjiang Province Natural Science Foundation, No. SS2022H001 (to LWY); Torch Plan Project of Mudanjiang Medical University Science Foundation, No. 2022-MYHJ-012 (to LWY); Doctoral Scientific Research Foundation of Mudanjiang Medical University, No. 2021-MYBSKY-039 (to LWY)

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Current strategies for the treatment of the corticospinal tract after spinal cord injury mainly focus on exercise rehabilitation, drug therapy, transcranial magnetoelectric stimulation, endogenous regulation such as transcription factors and specific signaling pathways. Among them, transcription factors and their specific signaling pathways are the key factors regulating the axonal regeneration of corticospinal tract after spinal cord injury. A large number of preclinical studies have confirmed that the synergy between transcription factors and their signaling pathways has a significant regulatory effect on the axonal regeneration of neurons in the corticospinal tract after spinal cord injury. Therefore, it has broad application prospects to explore new combination therapy strategies targeting transcription factors and specific signaling pathways for spinal cord injury.
OBJECTIVE: To systematically summarize the regulatory effects of transcription factors and their signaling pathways on the axonal regeneration of neurons in the corticospinal tract after spinal cord injury and the underlying molecular mechanisms, and explore the application of combined therapy strategies targeting transcription factors and signaling pathways in the neuroplasticity of the corticospinal tract after spinal cord injury, in order to provide a new combination strategy for the treatment of spinal cord injury.
METHODS: The search terms included “spinal cord injury, axon regeneration, transcription factors, signaling pathway, corticospinal tract, central nervous system, synergistic system, neuroprotective system” in Chinese and English. A literature retrieval was conducted in WanFang, Web of Science, and PubMed for relevant literature published from database inception to September 2024. Finally, 101 articles were included for analysis and summary.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) The article outlines the biological properties and intervention strategies for axonal regeneration of the corticospinal tract after spinal cord injury, analyses the reasons for focusing on the corticospinal tract after spinal cord injury, and elucidates the response and possibility of regeneration of the corticospinal tract after spinal cord injury. (2) In this study, the combined regulatory strategy of transcription factors centered on Krüppel-like factor 6, Krüppel-like factor 7, and neuronal restriction silencing factor can significantly promote the axonal regeneration of neurons in the corticospinal tract after spinal cord injury. (3) The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-protein kinase B-rapamycin target protein signaling pathway and Wnt5a pathway are the classical signaling pathways for transcription factors to regulate the axonal regeneration of corticospinal tract neurons, and the combined treatment strategy can effectively promote the axonal regeneration and functional reconstruction of corticospinal tract neurons after spinal cord injury. (4) This article discusses the combined treatment strategies of transcription factors and specific signaling pathways in a comprehensive and detailed manner, such as Krüppel-like factor 6 combined with signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, Krüppel-like factor 7 combined with SOX11 transcription factor, combined inhibition of phosphatase and tensin homologs and neuronal restriction silencing factor, etc., to exert a synergistic effect and promote the axonal regeneration of corticospinal tract neurons after spinal cord injury, which are significantly better than those of single treatment. It can effectively improve functional recovery and provide a reference scheme for the future treatment of axonal regeneration of corticospinal tract neurons after spinal cord injury. However, the specific mechanism of the combination therapy still needs to be further studied, and the current combination strategy is only widely used in animal models but not in clinical practice. (5) The combined therapy strategy based on transcription factors and specific signaling pathways has a significant therapeutic effect on the axonal regeneration of corticospinal tract neurons after spinal cord injury, and it is necessary to further explore the molecular mechanism of joint regulation in the future, in order to provide an effective combined therapy strategy for the rehabilitation and functional reconstruction of spinal cord injury.

中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点:组织构建;骨细胞;软骨细胞;细胞培养;成纤维细胞;血管内皮细胞;骨质疏松;组织工程

Key words: spinal cord injury, axonal regeneration, corticospinal tract, transcription factors, signaling pathway, central nervous system, synergistic effect, nerve regeneration

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