Interleukin-17 deficiency improves locomotor recovery and tissue sparing after spinal cord contusion injury in mice

▶ The pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-17 affects recovery after spinal cord contusion injury. ▶ IL-17 knockout mice show improved locomotor function. ▶ IL-17 deficiency results in a significantly smaller lesion size. ▶ IL-17 deficiency reduces immune cell recruitment, but not glial cell activation.