Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42376244›Full record

ArticleMaterials today. Bio2026

Melatonin rhythm-mimicking smart hydrogel for circadian clock regulation and promotion of intervertebral disc regeneration.

Jie Hu, Fang Zhou, Yisi Liu, Yu Qian, Yan Su, Fengyu Ma, Qiang Wei, Haobo Guo, Hui He, Qianglong Chen and 8 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Materials today. Bio, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

18 authors.

Jie HuChildren's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, PR China.
Fang ZhouCollege of Textiles and Clothing, State Key Laboratory of Bio-Fibers and Eco-Textiles, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266071, PR China.
Yisi LiuMedical 3D Printing Center, Orthopedic Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Innovation Center for Nanomedicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College, Biomedical Basic Research Center of Jiangsu, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, PR China.
Yu QianCenter for Health and Data Science (CHDS), The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215005, PR China.
Yan SuMedical 3D Printing Center, Orthopedic Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Innovation Center for Nanomedicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College, Biomedical Basic Research Center of Jiangsu, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, PR China.
Fengyu MaMedical 3D Printing Center, Orthopedic Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Innovation Center for Nanomedicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College, Biomedical Basic Research Center of Jiangsu, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, PR China.
Qiang WeiMedical 3D Printing Center, Orthopedic Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Innovation Center for Nanomedicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College, Biomedical Basic Research Center of Jiangsu, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, PR China.
Haobo GuoMedical 3D Printing Center, Orthopedic Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Innovation Center for Nanomedicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College, Biomedical Basic Research Center of Jiangsu, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, PR China.
Hui HeMedical 3D Printing Center, Orthopedic Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Innovation Center for Nanomedicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College, Biomedical Basic Research Center of Jiangsu, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, PR China.
Qianglong ChenMedical 3D Printing Center, Orthopedic Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Innovation Center for Nanomedicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College, Biomedical Basic Research Center of Jiangsu, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, PR China.
Shibin SunCollege of Textiles and Clothing, State Key Laboratory of Bio-Fibers and Eco-Textiles, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266071, PR China.
Hao JiangMedical 3D Printing Center, Orthopedic Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Innovation Center for Nanomedicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College, Biomedical Basic Research Center of Jiangsu, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, PR China.
Bin MengMedical 3D Printing Center, Orthopedic Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Innovation Center for Nanomedicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College, Biomedical Basic Research Center of Jiangsu, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, PR China.
Houfeng ZhengCenter for Health and Data Science (CHDS), The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215005, PR China.
Xiaodong WangChildren's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, PR China.
Ting LiangMedical 3D Printing Center, Orthopedic Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Innovation Center for Nanomedicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College, Biomedical Basic Research Center of Jiangsu, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, PR China.
Bin LiMedical 3D Printing Center, Orthopedic Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Innovation Center for Nanomedicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College, Biomedical Basic Research Center of Jiangsu, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, PR China.
Fengxuan HanChildren's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215000, PR China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is a leading cause of low back pain, with growing evidence suggesting a connection between its pathogenesis and circadian rhythm disruption. This study investigated the link between circadian regulation and IVDD by integrating epidemiological evidence from the UK Biobank cohort (n = 287,150), Mendelian randomization analysis, and multi-species validation using Bmal1 knockout mice and human and rat disc samples. Core circadian clock proteins were significantly downregulated in degenerated intervertebral disc tissues across species. To counteract this, a composite hydrogel was developed for the cyclic delivery of melatonin, which effectively upregulated BMAL1 and CLOCK protein expression, restored circadian rhythm, and enhanced extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis. When implanted into degenerated rat discs, the hydrogel alleviated IVDD by reestablishing circadian homeostasis. These findings highlight cyclic melatonin delivery as a promising therapeutic approach for IVDD.

Indexed as

Circadian clockIntervertebral disc degenerationMelatoninRepair and regeneration

Identifiers

PMID42376244
PMCPMC13311797

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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.