Journal of Jilin University(Medicine Edition) ›› 2024, Vol. 50 ›› Issue (6): 1751-1756.doi: 10.13481/j.1671-587X.20240630

• Review • Previous Articles    

Research progress in changes of intestinal flora after spinal cord injury and their effects on spinal neuroinflammation

Haixia CHEN1,Hongru LI1,Jingyi LIU1,Zhifang XU1,2,Shuwen LIU1,Yuan YANG1,Yang CHEN3,Yu LUO1,Yinjie CUI1,4()   

  1. 1.Experimental Acupuncture Research Center,School of Acupuncture,Moxibustion and Tuina,Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,Tianjin 301617,China
    2.National Clinical Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion of Traditional Chinese Medicine,Affiliated Hospital,Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,Tianjin 301617,China
    3.School of Traditional Chinese Medicine,Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,Tianjin 301617,China
    4.School of Medical Technology,Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,Tianjin 301617,China
  • Received:2023-06-04 Online:2024-11-28 Published:2024-12-10
  • Contact: Yinjie CUI E-mail:whylittlee@163.com

Abstract:

The gut microbiota is a vast microbial ecosystem, specifically present in the organism and plays an important regulatory role in the body’s health or disease state together with its metabolites. After spinal cord injury, the complex pathophysiology at the site of trauma makes axonal regeneration difficult, and the autonomic motor dysfunction induced by spinal cord injury disrupts gastrointestinal function and causes gut microbiota imbalance. The previous clinical outcomes of neurorepair strategies after spinal cord injury have not been ideal. The dysregulated gut microbiota and neuroinflammation after spinal cord injury are closely associated with the prognosis of the patients. The potential mechanisms by which the gut microbiota may influence the neuroinflammation after spinal cord injury may include the activation of gut-associated lymphoid tissue and disruption of the intestinal barrier by the imbalanced microbiota, and gut microbiota and its metabolites such as lipopolysaccharides(LPS), short chain fatty acids(SCFAs), 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT), and tryptophan, as well as immune cells, inflammatory factors, and neurotransmitters the local inflammatory response in the spinal cord through the circulatory system. This paper revews the studies on the changes in gut microbiota after spinal cord injury and their effects on the spinal cord neuroinflammation, providing new targets and new ideas for improving the neuroinflammation after spinal cord injury.

Key words: Spinal cord injury, Spinal neuroinflammation, Gut microbiota, Metabolism

CLC Number: 

  • R744