VEGF secreted by human dental pulp stem cell promotes spinal cord injury repair by inhibiting microglial pyroptosis through the PI3K/AKT pathway.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Spinal cord injury (SCI) remains a devastating central nervous system disorder. The complex pathological microenvironment following SCI, particularly the imbalance in neuroinflammation, contributes to its therapeutic challenges. Microglial pyroptosis, a type of programmed cell death, is pivotal in exacerbating neuroinflammation and secondary tissue damage after SCI. Our previous study demonstrated the inhibitory efficacy of conditioned medium (CM) derived from human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) on the microglial pyroptosis and its positive effects on the functional recovery in SCI models. However, the major secretory product in CM responsible for inhibiting microglial pyroptosis remains unclear.

Objective

We aim to investigate whether vascular endothelial growth

SUBMITTER: Zhang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11992863 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature