{"database":"biostudies-literature","file_versions":[],"scores":null,"additional":{"submitter":["Li Y"],"funding":["Jiangxi Provincial Natural Science Foundation"],"pagination":["102783"],"full_dataset_link":["https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12856442"],"repository":["biostudies-literature"],"omics_type":["Unknown"],"volume":["37"],"pubmed_abstract":["Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating neurological disorder with substantial economic and psychological burdens, underscoring the urgent need for effective therapeutic strategies. Here, we developed a dual-responsive hydrogel composed of polydopamine (PDA) and heparin-poloxamer (HP) that enables controllable mild photothermal stimulation under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation. The PDA-HP hydrogel exhibited excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and stable photothermal conversion. In a mouse SCI model, in situ administration of PDA-HP combined with NIR irradiation markedly improved locomotor recovery and mitigated tissue damage. Mechanistically, PDA-HP/NIR therapy reduced oxidative stress, preserved mitochondrial structure, restored ATP production, and-most notably-normalized the maladaptive overexpression of heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70) induced by SCI, thereby decreasing apoptosis and promoting neuronal survival. Quantitative proteomics further identified stress-chaperone and mitochondrial pathways as major targets of this intervention. To our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating that PDA-HP-mediated mild photothermal modulation restores mitochondrial function through HSP70 normalization in SCI. These findings highlight a mitochondria-targeted mild photothermal strategy as a promising and clinically translatable approach for spinal cord repair."],"journal":["Materials today. Bio"],"pubmed_title":["Dual-responsive PDA-HP hydrogel enables mitochondria-targeted mild photothermal therapy for spinal cord repair."],"pmcid":["PMC12856442"],"funding_grant_id":["20224BAB216047"],"pubmed_authors":["Ran B","Zhong N","Liu X","Li Y","Zhong Q","Li J","Hu J","Fu X","Zhong H","Zhong Y","Wu G"],"additional_accession":[]},"is_claimable":false,"name":"Dual-responsive PDA-HP hydrogel enables mitochondria-targeted mild photothermal therapy for spinal cord repair.","description":"Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating neurological disorder with substantial economic and psychological burdens, underscoring the urgent need for effective therapeutic strategies. Here, we developed a dual-responsive hydrogel composed of polydopamine (PDA) and heparin-poloxamer (HP) that enables controllable mild photothermal stimulation under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation. The PDA-HP hydrogel exhibited excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and stable photothermal conversion. In a mouse SCI model, in situ administration of PDA-HP combined with NIR irradiation markedly improved locomotor recovery and mitigated tissue damage. Mechanistically, PDA-HP/NIR therapy reduced oxidative stress, preserved mitochondrial structure, restored ATP production, and-most notably-normalized the maladaptive overexpression of heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70) induced by SCI, thereby decreasing apoptosis and promoting neuronal survival. Quantitative proteomics further identified stress-chaperone and mitochondrial pathways as major targets of this intervention. To our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating that PDA-HP-mediated mild photothermal modulation restores mitochondrial function through HSP70 normalization in SCI. These findings highlight a mitochondria-targeted mild photothermal strategy as a promising and clinically translatable approach for spinal cord repair.","dates":{"release":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","publication":"2026 Apr","modification":"2026-06-19T04:47:16.716Z","creation":"2026-06-19T03:07:26.232Z"},"accession":"S-EPMC12856442","cross_references":{"pubmed":["41624525"],"doi":["10.1016/j.mtbio.2026.102783"]}}