{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]],"date-time":"2026-07-22T20:06:49Z","timestamp":1784750809681,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,26]],"date-time":"2024-12-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1735171200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Japan Society for the Promotion of Science","award":["23H04169"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["23H04169"]}]},{"name":"Senri Life Science Foundation","award":["23H04169"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["23H04169"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Biomolecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The prognosis of spinal cord injury (SCI) is closely linked to secondary injury processes, predominantly driven by neuroinflammation. Interleukin-18 (IL-18) plays a pivotal role in this inflammatory response. In previous work, we developed an anti-IL-18 antibody capable of neutralizing the active form of IL-18. This study evaluated the functional effects of this antibody in a mouse model of SCI. IL-18 expression was significantly upregulated in the spinal cord following injury. In a mouse model of SCI (C57BL\/6J strain), mice were administered 150 \u03bcg of the anti-IL-18 antibody intraperitoneally. IL-18 inhibition via antibody treatment facilitated motor functional recovery post-injury. This intervention reduced neuronal death, reactive gliosis, microglia\/macrophage activation, and neutrophil infiltration. Additionally, IL-18 inhibition lowered the expression of pro-inflammatory factors, such as IL-1\u03b2 and the M1 microglia\/macrophage marker Ccl17, while enhancing the expression of the M2 microglia\/macrophage marker Arginase 1. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that IL-18 inhibition promotes motor recovery and facilitates the polarization of M1 microglia\/macrophages to the M2 phenotype, thereby fostering a neuroprotective immune microenvironment in mice with SCI.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/biom15010016","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,26]],"date-time":"2024-12-26T19:33:07Z","timestamp":1735241587000},"page":"16","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":16,"title":["IL-18 Blockage Reduces Neuroinflammation and Promotes Functional Recovery in a Mouse Model of Spinal Cord Injury"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Easmin","family":"Begum","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, 89-1 Enya-cho, Izumo 693-8501, Shimane, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Md Rashel","family":"Mahmod","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, 89-1 Enya-cho, Izumo 693-8501, Shimane, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Md Mahbobur","family":"Rahman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, 89-1 Enya-cho, Izumo 693-8501, Shimane, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fumiko","family":"Fukuma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, 89-1 Enya-cho, Izumo 693-8501, Shimane, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Takeshi","family":"Urano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Vaccines and Therapeutic Antibodies for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Shimane University, 89-1 Enya-cho, Izumo 693-8501, Shimane, Japan"},{"name":"mAbProtein Co., Ltd., 89-1 Enya-cho, Izumo 693-8501, Shimane, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yuki","family":"Fujita","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, 89-1 Enya-cho, Izumo 693-8501, Shimane, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1422","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1460-9568.1997.tb01497.x","article-title":"Expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine mRNA upon experimental spinal cord injury in mouse: An in situ hybridization study","volume":"9","author":"Bartholdi","year":"1997","journal-title":"Eur. 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