Role of Macrophage in Repair of Injured Spinal Cord and Wound Healing

Unlike the repair and remodeling of skin and muscle tissues after injury, spinal cord tissue is not regenerate properly. Macrophage activation as an inflammatory factor plays a pivotal role in restoration process of injured tissues. Following tissue injury, macrophages through the secretion of pro and anti- inflammatory cytokines and chemokines promote repair process. In current review we compare the inflammatory and healing responses of macrophages based on phenotypic activation in spinal cord tissue and tissues that completely restored. During normal healing of injured tissue, sequence activation of M1, M2a, M2b and M2c macrophages promote inflammation, proliferation and remodeling phases. However, M1 and M2a macrophages during spinal cord injury have prolonged inflammatory phase and the proliferation and remodeling do not initiate properly. Long activation of macrophages in spinal cord causes chronic inflammation and wound not restored. Determining which phenotypes of macrophages are needed to promotion of repair or demotion of damage process can help to design new approaches in order to promote spinal cord reconstruction and motor function improvement.

Keywords:

Macrophage , Spinal Cord Injury , Wound Healing