Scientific Reports · 8 authors, 4 centres
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This preclinical study in rats with chronic spinal cord injury found that a low oral dose of 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU) reduced hyaluronan and glial scar, but the dose was not high enough to reduce chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans or improve functional recovery.
Researchers investigated the effect of oral 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU), an inhibitor of hyaluronan synthesis, in a rat model of chronic spinal cord contusion injury. Six weeks post-injury, rats received 4-MU (1.2 g/kg/day) or placebo for 8 weeks alongside daily treadmill rehabilitation, followed by an 8-week washout with continued rehabilitation. The treatment reduced hyaluronan synthesis by astrocytes and increased serotonergic fiber sprouting into ventral horns. However, the dose was insufficient to suppress the injury-induced upregulation of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans, and no significant functional recovery was observed on behavioral tests. The study concludes that while 4-MU modulates the lesion environment, a higher dose may be required for functional benefits after spinal cord injury.
