Figure 2.

Proteoglycans as mediators of early inflammation during central nervous system (CNS) injury. Proteoglycans (PGs) have significant roles in the early stages of CNS injury through their involvement in regulation of neuroinflammation. Many heparan sulfate-PGs and chondroitin sulfate-PGs upregulated early after CNS injury are proinflammatory through their actions on the Toll-like receptor (TLR) cascade and via direct interactions with microglia. Decorin, a chondroitin sulfate/dermatan sulfate-PG that is also upregulated early in injury, uniquely acts to downregulate TLR signaling and dampen inflammation. Image created with BioRender.com and published with permission. CSPG, chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans; ECM, extracellular matrix.