‘Taxol’ Cancer Drug Shown to Help Spinal Cord Injuries

posted on Feb 10 by Snow in the Disability News, Health, Healthcare, Spinal Cord Injury, Technology category

There are a number of factors that impede the regeneration of nerve cells after a spinal cord injury.  The most important of these factors is the destabilization of the cytoskeleton and the scar tissue development. Destabilization prevents re-growth of nerve cells, while scar tissue can create a barrier for severed cells. Scientists have now shown that the cancer drug Taxol (paclitaxel) can reduce both obstacles.

When nerve fibers have been crushed or severed in the spinal cord, it’s known as paraplegia. Scientists have found a variety of factors that can prevent the regeneration of nerve cells. Several substances that can act like stop signs and halt the growth have been discovered. Other issues lie within the cells themselves.  The micro-tubules, (small protein tubes which compose the cells’ cytoskeleton), are muddled in an injured nerve cell causing structured growth to becomes impossible. In addition to this, the lost tissue is slowly replaced by scar tissue creating a obstruction for growing nerve cells.

By trying to provoke the cells to ignore such stop signs, neurobiologists have focused on studying the role of micro-tubules -stabilizing cells and actively pushing forward the cell. This pattern is lost in injured cells. So how can the order of the micro-tubule be regained in these cells? Once the cells start growing, how can they overcome hindrance of the scar tissue? Scientists have now found a common solution for both problems.

Taxol is currently used for cancer treatment and has now been shown to promote regeneration of injured nerve cells. Taxol stabilizes the micro-tubules so that their order is maintained and the injured nerve cells regain their ability to grow. Even though Taxol only reduces the production of scar tissue, growing nerve cells are able to cross this obstacle.

Experiments in rodents verified the effects of Taxol. Within a few weeks, animals showed a significant improvement in their movements. Thus, the effects of Taxol immediately after a lesion have thus far been successful. The next step is to find out if Taxol is just as effective on an existing scars several months after an injury. Clinically approved drugs that show these kinds of effects have a number of advantages. Taxol can be directly applied at the site of a spinal cord injury for the treatment of injuries, and the amount needed is less than what is currently used in cancer therapy. Hopefully this should reduce side effects. Taxol treatment is still in the state of basic research and some obstacles remain.