Dr. the first affiliated hopistal of university of SouthChina Hengyang, Hunan, China (People's Republic)
Objectives : To investigate whether Midkine (MDK), a heparin-binding growth factor, facilitates functional recovery after SCI and explores the underlying mechanisms.
Design: MDK was overexpressed in a spinal cord injury model. Behavior assessments evaluated recovery, while in vivo/vitro studies determined MDK's role in microglial efferocytosis.
Results: MDK was screened and demonstrated as a pivotal neurorepair factor to promote motor recovery by enhancing microglial efferocytosis via LRP-1 .
Conclusion: Our study reveals that the MDK/LRP-1/efferocytosis axis remodels the post-SCI microenvironment by coordinating the clearance of apoptotic cells to promote recovery.
