Gut Microbes and Inflammation: Their Role in Spinal Cord Injury Progression and Secondary Damage

This review article describes recent research advances in the relationship between spinal cord injury (SCI) and the gut microbiota and each other's inflammatory response. SCI is a serious neurological disease that directly damages physiological function. Recent studies have shown that SCI significantly affected the composition and function of the gut microbiota, and even caused intestinal inflammation. The gut microbiota, a community of microorganisms inhabiting the intestinal tract, is closely related to the human health. Recent studies have indicated that the disordered gut microbiota was strongly associated with the progression of several diseases, including intestinal inflammation and SCI, in addition, some specific strains may be involved in the development of intestinal inflammation and secondary inflammatory after SCI. These strains promote intestinal inflammation through the production of inflammatory mediators and activation of immune cells. Intestinal inflammation, in turn, further exacerbate spinal cord pathology and secondary inflammatory. In summary, there is an intimate interaction between the intestinal microbiota, intestinal inflammation and SCI, secondary inflammation. An in-depth study of these interaction mechanisms presented here may aid in understanding of SCI occurrence and development and provide new ideas for future therapeutic strategies.