Fig 2: CCL20 blockade improves neurological outcome after SCI. a Analysis of locomotor BBB scores after SCI (from 1 to 28 days post-injury). A significant improvement in hindlimb motor function is observed in the CCL20 mAb group compared with the injury control groups from 7 days post-injury. b The water content data shows that CCL20 blockade significantly alleviates spinal cord edema at 3 days post-SCI. + P < 0.05, compared with the sham group; * P < 0.05, compared with the CCL20 mAb group; &P < 0.05, compared with the isotype control group

Fig 3: Neutralizing CCL20 decreases the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. a The qRT-PCR data at 24 h post-injury shows that treatment with neutralizing anti-CCL20 antibody significantly decreased mRNA expression of IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-a. However, CCL20 mAb had no effect on the expression of the anti-inflammatory IL-10. b Similarly, ELISA data at 24 h post-injury illustrates that CCL20 blockade significantly reduced protein expression of IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-a but had no influence on the expression of IL-10. + P < 0.05, compared with the sham group; * P < 0.05, compared with the CCL20 mAb group

Fig 4: Neutralizing CCL20 improves histopathological outcome in the injured spinal cord. a H&E staining of the spinal cord sections at 28 days post-SCI shows varying sizes of the cystic cavity, inflammatory cell infiltration, and formation of a glial scar around the cavity. Scale bar = 1 mm. b, c Quantitative data of lesion tissue and spared tissue shows a significantly decreased lesion volume and increased spared tissue area, respectively, in CCL20 mAb-treated rats at the injury epicenter and both rostral and caudal directions, respectively. + P < 0.05, compared with the sham group; * P < 0.05, compared with the CCL20 mAb group; &P < 0.05, compared with the isotype control group

Fig 5: CCL20 blockade attenuates the expression of IL-17A. a, b The qRT-PCR and ELISA data at 14 days post-injury show that mRNA and protein expression of IL-17A, respectively, significantly decreased as a result of treatment with CCL20 mAb. IL-17A immunostaining at 14 days post-SCI in the sham group (c), CCL20 mAb group (d), isotype control group (e), and SCI group (f) indicates that IL-17A was mainly localized in the cytoplasm of lymphocytes and neurons. The brown staining represents the positive expression of IL-17A. Scale bar = 100 µm. g The percentage of IL-17A-positive cells indicates that CCL20 neutralizing antibody significantly reduced the IL-17A secretion. + P < 0.05, compared with the sham group; * P < 0.05, compared with the CCL20 mAb group