Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42213827›Full record

ArticleScience advances2026

An antiswelling biodegradable hydrogel reshapes electro-microenvironment to drive endogenous neuroregeneration after brain defect.

Zhen Luo, Meng Xiao, Jing Huang, Rong Yang, Xinrui Zhao, Jiaxing Shao, Jian Cheng, Chunyan Cui, Zhou Li, Wenguang Liu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Science advances, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Zhen LuoSchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China.ORCID 0009-0003-8344-7915
Meng XiaoVita Tech Innovation Center, Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.ORCID 0000-0001-6039-4388
Jing HuangBeijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101400, China.ORCID 0000-0002-8412-7206
Rong YangSchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China.
Xinrui ZhaoSchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China.
Jiaxing ShaoSchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China.
Jian ChengBeijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101400, China.
Chunyan CuiSchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China.ORCID 0009-0004-5860-6977
Zhou LiVita Tech Innovation Center, Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.ORCID 0000-0002-9952-7296
Wenguang LiuSchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China.ORCID 0000-0002-4216-2070

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Bioactive matrix filling is a promising strategy for treating acute traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related substantial brain defects, requiring a dual-functional matrix that resists swelling and remodels microenvironments for endogenous regeneration. Herein, we design an antiswelling, biodegradable adhesive hydrogel through supramolecular self-assembly of two Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs (lipoic acid and metformin) via multi-hydrogen bonding with precise regulation of solution pH. This hydrogel matrix recapitulates critical native brain tissue characteristics, including mechanical and electrical compatibility. During degradation, released lipoic acid remodels the injury site into a proregenerative niche, while metformin promotes spontaneous recruitment of endogenous neural stem cells (NSCs) to defect area. Integrated with a flexible cortical electrode and exogenous electrical stimulation, this system further directs NSC differentiation into functional neurons. In a substantial brain defect rat model, this strategy achieves a 14.8-fold increase in NSC recruitment and an 11.3-fold enhancement in neuronal differentiation, leading to a 78% reduction in tissue defect volume and notable functional recovery. This work establishes a therapeutic paradigm for endogenous repair after TBI.

Indexed as

Biocompatible MaterialsBrainBrain InjuriesBrain Injuries, TraumaticCellular MicroenvironmentHydrogelsNerve RegenerationAnimalsCell DifferentiationMaleMetforminNeural Stem CellsNeuronsRatsThioctic AcidBiocompatible MaterialsHydrogelsMetforminThioctic Acid

Identifiers

PMID42213827
PMCPMC13220871

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.