Single-Cell Multi-omics Assessment of Spinal Cord Injury Blocking via Cerium-doped Upconversion Antioxidant Nanoenzymes

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious condition that damages the central nervous system. This damage often leads to the breakdown of the myelin sheath, which is crucial for nerve function, due to the presence of harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS). This breakdown further hinders the recovery of function. To address this, researchers have developed a strategy called SETLSA, which involves both treating the injury and assessing its severity using cerium (Ce)-doped upconversion antioxidant nanoenzymes (Ce@UCNP-BCH). These nanoenzymes work by eliminating ROS at the injury site and dynamically monitoring the oxidative state during the repair process using a special luminescence signal. The study also used advanced single-cell sequencing techniques to understand how Ce@UCNP-BCH treatment affects the spinal cord tissue at a cellular level, revealing an increase in myelinating oligodendrocytes and higher expression of genes related to myelination, as well as the gene regulatory dynamics of remyelination after treatment.

• 1
  Ce@UCNP-BCH effectively facilitates the regeneration of spinal cord including myelin sheath, and promotes the functional recovery of SCI mice.
• 2
  The study reveals a significant increase in myelinating oligodendrocytes, as well as higher expression of myelination-related genes.
• 3
  The ETLSA strategy synergistically boosts ROS consumption through the superoxide dismutase (SOD)-related pathways after SOD-siRNA treatment.