Promoting spinal cord injury repair by using ZnO@MOFs nanozymes functionalized hydrogel through the ROS...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes significant patient recovery challenges due to oxidative stress and neuronal apoptosis.
• Photothermal nanotechnology presents a novel therapeutic avenue for SCI treatment.
• Developing targeted nanotherapeutics is crucial for enhancing treatment outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel nanotherapeutic system, ZnO-ZIF8@H, for treating spinal cord injury.
• To investigate the efficacy of ZnO-ZIF8@H combined with near-infrared (NIR) irradiation in mitigating SCI-induced damage.
• To assess the impact of the treatment on oxidative stress markers and neuronal apoptosis.

Main Methods:

• Development of a ZnO-ZIF8@H nanotherapeutic system.
• Application of the nanotherapeutic system combined with NIR irradiation on SCI models.
• Measurement of malondialdehyde (MDA) levels to assess lipid peroxidation.
• Assay of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) enzyme activity.
• TUNEL staining and Cleaved-Caspase3 expression analysis in NeuN-positive neurons to evaluate apoptosis.

Main Results:

• ZnO-ZIF8@H + NIR irradiation significantly reduced oxidative stress markers, including decreased MDA levels.
• The treatment enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes, SOD and GSH.
• Neuronal apoptosis was suppressed, as indicated by reduced TUNEL staining and Cleaved-Caspase3 expression in neurons.
• The combined therapy effectively alleviated secondary damage following spinal cord injury.

Conclusions:

• The ZnO-ZIF8@H nanotherapeutic system combined with NIR irradiation demonstrates significant neuroprotective effects against SCI.
• This approach effectively mitigates secondary injury by reducing oxidative stress and inhibiting neuronal apoptosis.
• ZnO-ZIF8@H + NIR represents a promising therapeutic strategy for spinal cord injury management.