Administration of αB crystallin as a new therapy to promote functional recovery after acute spinal cord injury

Objective: Characterize the expression and role of αB crystallin in spinal cord injury Material and method: In a murine animal model (mus musculus (C57/Bl6 mouse) spinal cord injury was induced by contusion and the spinal cord segment corresponding to the injury site was extracted at day 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28 post-injury and αB crystallin mRNA levels were assessed. In addition, the effects of the administration of the human αB crystallin recombinant protein after spinal cord injury was evaluated. Results: αB crystallin mRNA levels did not increase until day 21 following spinal cord injury. Administration of αB crystallin resulted in increased functional recovery after lesion. Conclusion: Administration of αB crystallin could therefore be valuable for the treatment of acute spinal cord injury.