ArticleBone research2026
TGF-β-induced fibrotic scar formation limits recovery of spinal cord injury.
Article in Bone research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of spinal cord injury: Mechanisms, efficacy, and clinical translation.Regenerative therapy · 2026Review
- Versatile Microgel Platform for Intervertebral Disc Degeneration Therapy: Targeting Pericyte-Mediated Fibrosis and Protecting Nucleus Pulposus Cells.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Photobiomodulation‑Engineered Extracellular Vesicles Enhance Neural Differentiation via UFL1‑Mediated UFMylation in Spinal Cord Injury.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Emerging roles of granzymes in neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation: mechanistic insights and therapeutic opportunities.Acta neuropathologica · 2026Review
- A Differentiated SH-SY5Y Model of Hypoxic-Ischaemic Injury Reveals Dynamic Transcriptomic Responses During Reoxygenation.Pathophysiology : the official journal of the International Society for Pathophysiology · 2026Article
- Review
- Mechanical Remodeling and Mechanosensing after Spinal Cord Injury: From Molecular to Translational Approaches.Research (Washington, D.C.) · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) often causes long-term disability. But effective means to promote proper regeneration after SCI has so far failed to reach the clinic. Here, we report that fibrotic scar formation at injury sites prevents recovery after SCI and that the inhibition of fibrotic scar formation significantly improved SCI recovery in adult mice. We found that after SCI there is an elevation of macrophages, which are a primary source of activated transforming growth factor-β 1 (TGF-β1) that in turn recruits mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) to induce their fibroblast differentiation, thus promoting scar formation. We also found that activated TGF-β1 acts on resident pericytes in the endothelial niche of the blood-spinal cord barrier to promote their differentiation into fibroblasts, which also contributes to scarring. Interrupting these pathways by selective genetic KOs or treatment with a TGF-β-neutralizing antibody inhibited scar formation and improved SCI functional recovery. Notably, we found that neonatal mice recover scarlessly after SCI and with no active TGF-β at the injury site. Together, these findings suggest that fibrotic scarring occurs due to elevated activation of TGF-β, and preventing such activation or neutralizing active TGF-β may be an approach to improve outcome after SCI.
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.