Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Lebanon.
Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan.
Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2020 Oct;197:106102. doi: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2020.106102. Epub 2020 Jul 21.
Connexins (Cxs) are a family of transmembrane proteins that assemble into groups of six, forming what is known as a connexon or a hemichannel. Connexins are named based on their molecular weight, e.g. Cx43 is the connexin protein that weighs 43 kDa. Two hemichannels, each from a different cell, can link up end-to-end forming a gap junction. In the nervous system, gap junctions facilitate metabolite exchange between neighboring cells, in addition to electrical and chemical impulses. Many animal studies have been conducted to investigate the role of different types of Cxs in spinal cord injury (SCI) - most notably Cx43 - and the potential for targeting them with inhibitors. In this review, the authors discuss these studies and provide an update on recent connexin specific pharmacological agents that may potentially pave the way for the use of connexin inhibition in the management of SCI in humans, if more translational studies are done.
缝隙连接蛋白（Connexins，Cxs）是一类跨膜蛋白，它们可以六聚体的形式形成连接子或半通道。Cxs 根据其分子量进行命名，例如分子量为 43kDa 的连接蛋白称为 Cx43。两个来自不同细胞的半通道可以首尾相连形成缝隙连接。在神经系统中，缝隙连接除了促进电和化学冲动外，还促进相邻细胞之间的代谢物交换。许多动物研究已经进行，以研究不同类型的 Cxs 在脊髓损伤（SCI）中的作用 - 最值得注意的是 Cx43 - 以及用抑制剂靶向它们的潜力。在这篇综述中，作者讨论了这些研究，并提供了关于最近的缝隙连接蛋白特异性药理学制剂的最新信息，如果进行更多的转化研究，这些制剂可能为在人类 SCI 管理中使用缝隙连接抑制铺平道路。
