Selective inhibition of soluble TNF using XPro1595 improves hippocampal pathology to promote improved neurological recovery following traumatic brain injury in mice

Katelyn Larson; Melissa Damon; Rajasa Randhi; Nancy Nixon-Lee; Kirsty J Dixon

doi:10.2174/1871527321666220610104908

Selective inhibition of soluble TNF using XPro1595 improves hippocampal pathology to promote improved neurological recovery following traumatic brain injury in mice

CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 2022 Jun 10. doi: 10.2174/1871527321666220610104908. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Katelyn Larson¹, Melissa Damon¹, Rajasa Randhi¹, Nancy Nixon-Lee¹, Kirsty J Dixon¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University, United States.

PMID: 35692164
DOI: 10.2174/1871527321666220610104908

Abstract

Aims: To determine the efficacy of XPro1595 to improve pathophysiological and functional outcomes in a mouse model of traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Background: Symptoms associated with TBI can be debilitating, and treatment without off-target side effects remains a challenge. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of selectively inhibiting the soluble form of TNF (solTNF) using the biologic XPro1595 in a mouse model of TBI.

Objectives: Use XPro1595 to determine whether injury-induced solTNF promotes hippocampal inflammation and dendritic plasticity, and associated functional impairments.

Methods: Mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injury (CCI model) was induced in adult male C57Bl/6J WT and Thy1-YFPH mice, with XPro1595 (10 mg/kg, S.C.) or vehicle being administered in a clinically relevant window (60 minutes post-injury). The animals were assessed for differences in neurological function, and hippocampal tissue was analyzed for inflammation and glial reactivity, as well as neuronal degeneration and plasticity.

Results: We report that unilateral CCI over the right parietal cortex in mice promoted deficits in learning and memory, depressive-like behavior, and neuropathic pain. Using immunohistochemical and Western blotting techniques, we observed the cortical injury promoted a set of expected pathophysiology's within the hippocampus consistent with the observed neurological outcomes, including glial reactivity, enhanced neuronal dendritic degeneration (dendritic beading), and reduced synaptic plasticity (spine density and PSD-95 expression) within the DG and CA1 region of the hippocampus, that were prevented in mice treated with XPro1595.

Conclusion: Overall, we observed that selectively inhibiting solTNF using XPro1595 improved the pathophysiological and neurological sequelae of brain-injured mice, which provides support for its use in patients with TBI.

Keywords: TBI; TNF; TNFR1; glial reactivity; inflammation; synaptic plasticity.