Eupatilin Ameliorates Spinal Cord Injury by Inhibiting Damage-associated Microglia and Optimizing the Regenerative Microenvironment
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ABSTRACT: Microglia represent critical therapeutic targets in spinal cord injury (SCI), with damage associated microglia (DAM) playing key roles in neuroinflammation and tissue repair.Through integrated in-silico analysis of scRNA-seq and microarray datasets, we identified DAM subsets specific to acute SCI characterized by hub genes Fcer1g, Grn, and Gusb. Using a C57BL/6 mouse spinal cord contusion model, we validated increased DAM accumulation post-injury and demonstrated their propensity to transition toward homeostatic microglia (MG2). Eupatilin treatment promoted DAM-toMG2 differentiation, as confirmed through bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing analyses revealing supportive gene expression changes. These findings establish DAM as functionally distinct microglial populations in acute SCI and identify Eupatilin as a therapeutic agent that facilitates beneficial microglial polarization. This work provides mechanistic insights into microglial dynamics during SCI and suggests targeted modulation of DAM-to-MG2 transitions as a promising therapeutic strategy for promoting inflammation resolution and functional recovery.
ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus
PROVIDER: GSE306745 | GEO | 2025/08/29
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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