Interleukin 10 therapy for spinal cord injury: a meta-analysis of preclinical studies on motor recovery and modulation of neuroinflammation

Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes severe neurological impairment via inflammation, oxidative stress, and secondary damage. Interleukin 10 (IL-10) is an anti-inflammatory cytokine that has shown some promise in the preclinical treatment of SCI animal models. However, no comprehensive meta-analysis has yet evaluated its efficacy for motor recovery post-SCI. This study aims to fill this gap. A comprehensive literature search was performed in databases. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), a key pro-inflammatory cytokine, was analyzed as a marker of neuroinflammation. Data extraction of included studies was performed and meta-analyses were done using Stata 14. Quality assessment of included studies and subgroup analysis were performed. The analysis of data of functional recovery from 21 studies and TNF-α from 10 studies revealed that IL-10 administration significantly improved motor function recovery after SCI compared to control groups (SMD = 1.69; 95% [CI] = 1.26–2.11; p < 0.0001) and significantly reduced TNF-α (SMD = -2.06; 95% CI = −2.87 to −1.26; p < 0.0001). Local delivery of IL-10 via implantable devices showed superior efficacy compared to other administration routes. IL-10 administration, especially the local sustained delivery using implantable systems, attenuated neuroinflammation and significantly improved motor behavior after SCI. These findings highlight the translational potential of IL-10 for SCI treatment and suggest optimal administration protocols for future research. However, these preclinical findings require cautious interpretation before clinical translation.