Fibrotic Scars and the Potential Therapeutics After Spinal Cord Injury
- 1Department of Neurosciences, Cleveland Clinic Research, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
- 2Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) affects millions of people worldwide, resulting in persistent direct and secondary effects including but not limited to motor, sensory, and autonomic dysfunction. The widespread nature of this condition, as well as its detrimental effects, makes recovery following SCI an important clinical problem. One primary issue identified in SCI among other neurological conditions is fibrotic scarring, as its dynamic nature provides both beneficial and detrimental effects over its developmental course. Initially, early scar formation contributes to wound closure and tissue stabilization, but chronic, persistent fibrosis later interferes with axonal growth and other neural repair mechanisms. The scar itself is highly dynamic, consisting of components including collagens, fibronectin, proteoglycans, and laminins, all of which have diverse localization and functionality throughout scar maturation. Its formation is regulated by various signaling mechanisms, including inflammatory signaling, profibrotic pathways, vascular responses, interactions between fibroblasts and neighboring cells, and changes in the specific mechanical environment of the injury site. This review focuses primarily on SCI, with findings from additional central nervous system injury and disease models used to provide a holistic, clinically relevant overview of fibrotic scar organization, profibrotic signaling, and potential therapeutic targets.
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BibTeX
@article{lin2026fibrotic,
title = {{Fibrotic Scars and the Potential Therapeutics After Spinal Cord Injury}},
author = {Ching-Yi Lin and Alex Nelson and Jason Lin and Wayne Lee and Sidney Bihrer and Yu-Shang Lee},
journal = {Cells},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/cells15211977},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/15/21/1977},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Fibrotic Scars and the Potential Therapeutics After Spinal Cord Injury
AU - Ching-Yi Lin
AU - Alex Nelson
AU - Jason Lin
AU - Wayne Lee
AU - Sidney Bihrer
AU - Yu-Shang Lee
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Cells
DO - 10.3390/cells15211977
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/15/21/1977
AB - Spinal cord injury (SCI) affects millions of people worldwide, resulting in persistent direct and secondary effects including but not limited to motor, sensory, and autonomic dysfunction. The widespread nature of this condition, as well as its detrimental effects, makes recovery following SCI an important clinical problem. One primary issue identified in SCI among other neurological conditions is fibrotic scarring, as its dynamic nature provides both beneficial and detrimental effects over its developmental course. Initially, early scar formation contributes to wound closure and tissue stabilization, but chronic, persistent fibrosis later interferes with axonal growth and other neural repair mechanisms. The scar itself is highly dynamic, consisting of components including collagens, fibronectin, proteoglycans, and laminins, all of which have diverse localization and functionality throughout scar maturation. Its formation is regulated by various signaling mechanisms, including inflammatory signaling, profibrotic pathways, vascular responses, interactions between fibroblasts and neighboring cells, and changes in the specific mechanical environment of the injury site. This review focuses primarily on SCI, with findings from additional central nervous system injury and disease models used to provide a holistic, clinically relevant overview of fibrotic scar organization, profibrotic signaling, and potential therapeutic targets.
SN - 2073-4409
ER -