Recently, Prof. Li Jun of School of Pharmacy in our university and his team published jointly with Prof. Wang Yucai and Dr. You Tao of USTC a research paper titled Neutrophil Decoys with Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Oxidative Properties Reduce Secondary Spinal Cord Injury and Improve Neurological Functional Recovery in an internationally renowned academic journal Advanced Functional Materials (IF: 18.808). Ph.D student Bi Yihui of pharmacology in our university is the lead author of the paper. Prof. Li Jun, Prof. Wang Yucai and Dr. You Tao are joint corresponding authors. AHMU is the lead-author institute.
The research shows that coated with membranes of activated neutrophils, the NDs inherit multiple receptors from the “parent” neutrophils, which can adsorb and neutralize the elevated neutrophil-related inflammation cytokines and chemokines. In addition, NDs with the core of polydopamine NPs could efficiently scavenge excessive RONS in neurons, protecting them from the damage caused by oxidization. In a rat SCI model, early ND treatment significantly reduces neutrophil infiltration and reprograms the inflammatory and oxidative microenvironment in injured spinal cords. During the SCI chronic phase, ND treatment reduces the formation of demyelination and glial scars, and improves neural regeneration and functional recovery in rats. Such findings provide new strategies for an efficient treatment of secondary spinal cord injury.