Biology subjects

Galuta, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Galuta, A..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Poly-L-Ornithine Coated Plant Scaffolds Support Motor Recovery in Rats after Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating neurological condition with far-reaching consequences for patients, including loss of motor function and significant limitations to quality of life. Implantable biomaterials have emerged as a therapeutic strategy to modulate the SCI microenvironment and facilitate regeneration of axons. In this study, plant-derived lignocellulosic scaffolds coated with poly-L-ornithine (PLO) are shown to support locomotor recovery and neural tissue repair in a rat model of spinal cord injury. Upon complete transection of the spinal cord, animals were implanted with a plant-derived scaffold coated in poly-L-ornithine, a positively charged amino acid chain that is known to promote neural stem cell differentiation into neurons and enhance myelin regeneration. Recovery of motor function was evaluated by the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor scale as well as the Karolinska Institutet Swim Assessment Tool (KSAT). Retrograde tracing of ascending sensory tracts revealed enhanced regeneration in animals that received the PLO-coated scaffold. Numerous {beta}-III tubulin and neurofilament 200 positive fibers may indicate axonal sprouting within the lignocellulosic scaffold and LFB staining highlights myelination around the PLO-coated scaffold. These results demonstrate the potential of plant-based biomaterials in a rat model of acute spinal cord injury and highlight their enhancement after PLO functionalization.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2022

The Human Motoneuron Expression Signature is Defined by ALS-Related Genes

The mammalian spinal cord functions as a community of glial and neuronal cell types to accomplish sensory processing, autonomic control, and movement; conversely, the dysfunction of these cell types following spinal cord injury or disease states can lead to chronic pain, paralysis, and death. While we have made great strides in understanding spinal cellular diversity in animal models, it is crucial to characterize human biology directly to uncover specialized features of basic function and to illuminate human pathology. Here, we present a cellular taxonomy of the adult human spinal cord using single nucleus RNA-sequencing with spatial transcriptomics and antibody validation. We observed 29 glial clusters, including rare cell types such as ependymal cells, and 35 neuronal clusters, which we found are organized principally by anatomical location. To demonstrate the potential of this resource for understanding human disease, we analyzed the transcriptome of spinal motoneurons that are prone to degeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other diseases. We found that, compared with all other spinal neurons, human motoneurons are defined by genes related to cell size, cytoskeletal structure, and ALS, thereby supporting a model of a specialized motoneuron molecular repertoire that underlies their selective vulnerability to disease. We include a publicly available browsable web resource with this work, in the hope that it will catalyze future discoveries about human spinal cord biology.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Plant Scaffolds Support Motor Recovery and Regeneration in Rat Spinal Cord Injury

As of yet, no standard of care incorporates biomaterials to treat traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). However, intense development of biomaterials for treating SCI has focused on fabricating microscale channels to support the regrowth of axons while minimizing scar formation. We previously demonstrated that plant tissues could be decellularized and processed to form sterile, biocompatible and implantable biomaterials that support cell infiltration and vascularization in vivo. Vascularized plant tissues contain continuous microscale channels with geometries relevant for supporting neural regeneration. We hypothesized that decellularized vascular bundles would support neural regeneration and motor recovery in SCI. Sprague Dawley rats received a complete T8-T9 spinal cord transection and were implanted with acellular plant-derived scaffolds and allowed to recover over 28 weeks. Animals that received the scaffolds alone, with no other therapeutic compounds, demonstrated a significant and stable partial improvement in motor function compared to control animals as early as week 4 post-injury. Hind-limb motor function did not deteriorate over the remaining 28 weeks. Histological analysis revealed minimal astrocyte scarring at the spinal cord - scaffold interface, aligned axonal projection through the scaffolds, populations of serotonergic neurons and Schwann cells, laminin and collagen deposition and the presence of blood vessels. Axonal reconnection via the scaffold was also confirmed by Fluro-gold retrograde tracing. Taken together, our work defines a novel route for building upon naturally occurring plant microarchitectures to support the repair of the spinal cord post-injury. Notably, these results were achieved without the use of growth factors, stem/progenitor cells, or any other interventions.

bioengineering↗