Pharmacology-Toxicology 2021

  Chondroitin 6-sulfate-binding peptides improve recovery in spinal cord-injured mice The role of  glycosaminoglycan   sulfation  patterns, particularly in regard to scar formation and inhibition of neuritogenesis, has been mainly studied in cell culture with a focus on chondroitin 4-sulfate. In this study, we investigated chondroitin 6-sulfate (C6S) and found that it also inhibits  neurite outgrowth  of mouse cerebellar granule neurons  in vitro . To examine whether the inhibitory activity of C6S could be neutralized, seven previously characterized high-affinity C6S-binding peptides were tested, among which three peptides neutralized the inhibitory functions of C6S. We further investigated these peptides in a mouse model of  spinal cord injury , since upregulation of C6S expression in the glial scar following injury has been associated with reduced axonal regrowth and functional recovery. We here subjected mice to severe compression injury at tho...