Early blood-spinal cord barrier stabilization preserves peri-lesional tissue and improves recovery after SCI

Abstract

Vascular disruption is an early and critical event in spinal cord injury (SCI), but its contribution remains poorly understood. Using novel in vivo two-photon dual-dye imaging, we found simultaneous blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) leakage and venous dilation in both the injury epicenter and adjacent transitional segment after cervical SCI in rats. Notably, vascular permeability in the transitional zone preceded axonal and neuronal loss, revealing a therapeutic window. Systemic delivery of ferulic acid-glycol chitosan (FA-GC) nanoparticles, a membrane-sealant, rapidly stabilized the compromised vasculature, reduced neuronal loss in the transitional region, and improved forelimb muscle strength. These findings identified acute vascular leakage beyond the injury epicenter as a driver of secondary pathology and highlight early vascular stabilization as promising therapeutic strategy.