J Neuroinflamm
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Comparative Study
Evaluating the role of IL-11, a novel cytokine in the IL-6 family, in a mouse model of spinal cord injury.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition with substantial functional and social morbidity. Previous research has established that the neuroinflammatory response plays a significant role in cord damage post-SCI. However, global immunosuppressive therapies have demonstrated mixed results. As a result, more specific therapies modulating inflammation after injury are needed. In this regard, research into cytokine signaling has demonstrated that cytokines of the gp130 family including IL-6 and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) play key roles in mediating damage to the spinal cord. Since members of the gp130 family all share a common signal transduction pathway via the JAK/STAT system, we performed the first study of a relatively new member of the gp130 family, IL-11, in SCI. ⋯ This is the first study to address IL-11 in SCI. This study provides evidence that IL-11 signaling may not play as significant a role in SCI as other gp130 cytokines, which will ideally guide future therapy design and the signaling pathways those therapies target.