• Yu Zhang, Zuchao Gu, Guixing Qiu, and Yueming Song.
• From the *Department of Orthopaedics, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing; †Department of Orthopaedics, The First People's Hospital of Chengdu; and ‡Department of Orthopaedics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
• J Craniofac Surg. 2013 Nov 1; 24 (6): 2153-7.

AbstractSpinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most devastating injuries for patients. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is an important neurotrophic factor for the regeneration of the spinal neuraxial bundle, but GDNF would degrade rapidly if the protein was injected into the site of injury; thus, it cannot exert its fullest effects. Therefore, we introduced a delivery system of GDNF, poly(lactide-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) delayed-release microspheres, in the current study and observed the effect of PLGA-GDNF and the combination of PLGA-GDNF and another 2 agents PLGA-chondroitinase ABC (ChABC) and PLGA-Nogo A antibody in the treatment of SCI rats. Our results showed that PLGA-GDNF and the combination of chABC, GDNF, and Nogo A antibody microspheres could elevate the locomotor scores of SCI rats. The effect of PLGA-GDNF was much better than that of GDNF. The cortical somatosensory evoked potential was also improved by PLGA-GDNF and the combination of chABC, GDNF, and Nogo A antibody microspheres. Our results suggest that PLGA delayed-release microsphere may be a useful and effective tool in delivering protein agents into the injury sites of patients with SCI. This novel combination therapy may provide a new idea in promoting the functional recovery of the damaged spinal cord.

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