Targeted Modulation of the Neuroinflammatory Response after Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

The aim of the present thesis was to study novel therapeutic approaches to modulate the inflammatory reaction that follows experimental SCI to induce improved motor function and reduced pain. As early pro-inflammatory cytokine production after SCI is essential for the initiation and the maintenance of the inflammatory reaction, as a first strategy the cytokine transcript reducing effect of the nuclear hormone receptor ligands retinoic acid (RA) and T0901317 (T09) was investigated. As a second strategy, boosting of beneficial effects of the inflammatory reaction was studied via exogenous application of the growth factor VEGF after SCI.