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J Neurol Surg A Cent Eur Neurosurg 2024; 85(06): 602-609
DOI: 10.1055/a-2111-5698
Review Article

Interleukin-6 in Spinal Cord Injury: Could Immunomodulation Replace Immunosuppression in the Management of Acute Traumatic Spinal Cord Injuries?

Hank Shipman
1   Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
,
Molly Monsour
2   University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida, United States
,
Madeline M. Foley
1   Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
,
Serge Marbacher
3   Department of Neurosurgery, Kantonsspital Aarau, Aarau, Switzerland
,
Davide M. Croci 
4   Department of Neurosurgery, Clinical Neurosciences Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
5   Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States
,
Erica F. Bisson 
4   Department of Neurosurgery, Clinical Neurosciences Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
› Author Affiliations Funding This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
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Abstract

Traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCI) result in devastating impairment to an individual's functional ability. The pathophysiology of SCI is related to primary injury but further propagated by secondary reactions to injury, such as inflammation and oxidation. The inflammatory and oxidative cascades ultimately cause demyelination and Wallerian degeneration. Currently, no treatments are available to treat primary or secondary injury in SCI, but some studies have shown promising results by lessening secondary mechanisms of injury. Interleukins (ILs) have been described as key players in the inflammation cascade after neuronal injury; however, their role and possible inhibition in the context of acute traumatic SCIs have not been widely studied. Here, we review the relationship between SCI and IL-6 concentrations in the CSF and serum of individuals after traumatic SCIs. Furthermore, we explore the dual IL-6 signaling pathways and their relevance for future IL-6 targeted therapies in SCI.

Keywords

spinal cord injury - interleukin-6 - neuroinflammation - trauma - pathophysiology


Publication History

Received: 24 August 2022

Accepted: 14 June 2023

Accepted Manuscript online:
16 June 2023

Article published online:
03 July 2024

© 2024. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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