Review Article

Reactive Astrogliosis: Implications in Spinal Cord Injury Progression and Therapy

Table 3

Positive and negative influence of reactive astrogliosis.

Positive effectsReferences
Limits leukocyte infiltration, repairs the blood–brain barrier[122, 125127]
Uptakes excess glutamate and prevents chronic glutamate neurotoxicity[124, 128]
Promotes neuronal survival as well as axonal regeneration[28, 129, 130]
Alleviates neurodegenerative disease[131, 132]
Maintains the brain’s excitation/inhibition balance, prevents the development of epileptic seizures[133]

Negative effectsReferences
Limits axonal regeneration and functional recovery after SCI[112, 134136]
Contributes to the development and persistence of chronic pain[137, 138]
Inhibits differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells[117120]
Fosters brain metastases via STAT3 signaling[139]