shRNA against PTEN promotes neurite outgrowth of cortical neurons and functional recovery in spinal cord contusion rats.

Aim: To explore neurite growth/regeneration and spinal cord injury repair after PTEN silencing via lentivirus-mediated RNAi. Materials & Methods: Cortical neurons were seeded on or adjacent to chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans. The length, number and crossing behavior of neurites were calculated. Lentivirus was locally injected into spinal cord contusion rats. The functional recovery and immunohistochemical staining were analyzed. Results: Neurites with PTEN silencing exhibited significant enhancements in elongation, initiation and crossing ability when they encountered chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans in vitro. In vivo PTEN silencing improved functional recovery significantly, and promoted axon and synapse formation, but not scar formation. Conclusions: PTEN silencing may be promising for spinal cord injury repair.