Fig. 9: HACS@CPP-miR-Exo therapy promotes IVD restoration following discectomy. | Nature Communications

Fig. 9: HACS@CPP-miR-Exo therapy promotes IVD restoration following discectomy.

From: Injectable ECM-mimetic dynamic hydrogels abolish ferroptosis-induced post-discectomy herniation through delivering nucleus pulposus progenitor cell-derived exosomes

Fig. 9

a Schematic representation illustrating IVD discectomy in rats and the associated treatment protocols. b In vivo radiological and histological assessments. MRI scans of rat caudal IVDs were conducted 2 weeks post-discectomy. H&E staining and Safranin-O/Fast Green staining of IVD sections were performed at 1- or 2-months post-discectomy. Scale bar: 5 mm (up) and 500 μm (down). c Quantitative analysis of DHI after various treatments according to the MRI scanning data (n = 5 independent rats). d Quantitative analysis of disc water content after various treatments according to the MRI scanning data (n = 5 independent rats). e Histological grades of the IVD after different treatment (n = 5 independent rats). Representative immunohistochemical staining images (f) and quantification (g) of ACSL4 and GPX4 in IVD sections (n = 5 independent rats). Scale bar: 500 μm. h–i Assessment of MDA and ferrous ion levels in IVDs across different groups (n = 5 independent rats). Comparisons were performed by two-tailed Student’s t test in panels (c, d, e, g, h and i). Data are presented as means ± SD. n = 5 independent rats for panels (b, f). IVD intervertebral disc, HACS ECM-mimetic hydrogel, CPP-miR-Exo cell-penetrating peptide modified miR-Exo, DHI disc height index, ACSL4 acyl-coenzyme A synthetase long-chain family member 4, GPX4 Glutathione Peroxidase 4, MDA malondialdehyde. Schematic illustrations were generated using BioRender (Wang, V., 2025; accessible at: https://BioRender.com/i62o243). Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

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