Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Leads to Injury and Metabolic Dysfunction of the Lung

High-cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) often disrupts respiratory motor pathways and disables breathing in the affected population. Moreover, cervically injured individuals are at risk for developing acute lung injury (ALI), which predicts substantial mortality rates. While the correlation between ALI and SCI has been found in the clinical setting, the field lacks an animal model to interrogate the fundamental biology of this relationship. To begin to address this gap, we performed an experimental cervical SCI and assessed lung injury in adult rats. We demonstrate that animals display signs of ALI two weeks post-SCI. We also observed aberrant N-glycan metabolism determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging. Collectively, we establish for the first time a model of ALI after SCI at an acute time point that can be used to monitor the progression of lung damage, as well as identify potential targets to ameliorate ALI.