AUTHOR=Xiao Zhiyong , Yao Yingtao , Wang Zhiyu , Tian Qing , Wang Jiedong , Gu Li , Li Bo , Zheng Qixin , Wu Yongchao 

TITLE=Local Delivery of Taxol From FGL-Functionalized Self-Assembling Peptide Nanofiber Scaffold Promotes Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cell-and-developmental-biology/articles/10.3389/fcell.2020.00820

DOI=10.3389/fcell.2020.00820

ISSN=2296-634X

ABSTRACT=Taxol has been clinically approved as an antitumor drug and exerts its antitumor effect by its excessive stabilization of microtubules of cancer cells. Recently various studies demonstrated that moderate microtubule stabilization by taxol could efficiently promote neurite regeneration and functional recovery in spinal cord injury (SCI). However, taxol’s potential for clinical translation in SCI is limited by its side-effects and low ability to cross the blood spinal cord barrier (BSCB). Self-assembled peptide hydrogels have showed potential as drug carrier for local delivery of therapeutic agents. We therefore hypothesized that localized delivery of taxol through self-assembled peptide scaffolds could promote axon regeneration by microtubule stabilization for the treatment of SCI. In this study, the mechanistic functions of taxol-releasing system were clarified in vitro and in vivo by immunofluorescence labeling, histology and neurobehavioral analysis. The in vitro study showed that taxol released from FGLmx/taxol remain active and promote neurite extension. In this study, we used a weight-drop contusion model to induce injury at T9 of the spinal cord, the results showed that local delivery of taxol from FGLmx/taxol significantly decreased glial scarring and increased nerve fibers compared with the FGLmx self-assembled peptide and 5% glucose treated animals. Furthermore, animals with administration of FGLmx/taxol exhibited preservation of neurite, smaller cavities dimension, decreased inflammation and demyelination. All the results suggest that local delivery of taxol from FGLmx/taxol was effective in promoting SCI recovery, which provide a new therapeutic strategy for SCI.