Eupatilin ameliorates spinal cord injury by inhibiting damage-associated microglia and optimizing the regenerative microenvironment.

Microglia represent critical therapeutic targets in spinal cord injury (SCI), with damage-associated microglia (DAM) playing key roles in neuroinflammation and tissue repair. Through integrated in-silico analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and microarray datasets, we identified DAM subsets specific to acute SCI characterized by hub genes Fcer1g, Grn, and Gusb. Using a C57BL/6 mouse spinal cord contusion model, we validated increased DAM accumulation post-injury and demonstrated their propensity to transition toward homeostatic microglia (MG2). Eupatilin treatment promoted DAM-to-MG2 differentiation, as confirmed through bulk and scRNA-seq analyses, revealing supportive gene expression changes. These findings establish DAM as functionally distinct microglial populations in acute SCI and identify Eupatilin as a therapeutic agent that facilitates beneficial microglial polarization. This work provides mechanistic insights into microglial dynamics during SCI and suggests targeted modulation of DAM-to-MG2 transitions as a promising therapeutic strategy for promoting inflammation resolution and functional recovery.