ABSTRACT
Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans are formed in scar tissue after a spinal cord injury and inhibit axon regrowth. The production of neurocan, one of these chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans, in cultured spinal cord astrocytes increased after the addition of epidermal growth factor (EGF) in a dose-dependent manner (2-200 ng/ml). In astrocytes stimulated by 20 ng/ml of EGF, neurocan production was inhibited after the addition of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor (SB203580: 3-10 µM) in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that the activation of p38 MAPK is one of the mechanisms of neurocan production in EGF-stimulated astrocytes. The p38 MAPK inhibitor may reduce neurocan production and accelerate axonal regrowth after a spinal cord injury.
