Stem cell-laden rigid-flexible bioscaffold for neural regeneration and functional recovery after spinal cord injuryDownload PDF Download PDF ArticleOpen accessPublished: 09 October 2026Jiangang Zhang1,2 na1,Lifei Huang3 na1,Wen Guo1 na1,Xindan Zhang3 na1,Junchen Wang1,Chengao Gao ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-5362-99831,Huayu Yang4,Yilei Mao ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0449-42234,Feng Xiong3,Tao Lu5,Bo Hou6,Junhao Yan7,Huiyu Yang8,Yonglai Lu3,Jiliang Zhai ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-3441-81091,Yu Zhao ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-9025-20141,Jiajia Xue ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7209-79353 &…Xing Wang3 Communications Materials (2026) Cite this articleSave articleView saved research We’re sharing this article early to provide faster access to peer-reviewed, accepted research. It is citable and carries a permanent DOI. This version is subject to further edits and will be replaced automatically by the final Version of Record. All legal disclaimers apply.AbstractSpinal cord injury (SCI) remains a major clinical challenge due to limited neural regeneration and complex neuroimmune responses. To address these barriers, this study engineered a rigid-flexible composite bioscaffold (Poly_NT3_gel) integrating a multi-channel conduit made of aligned electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers, neurotrophin-3 (NT3)-encapsulated collagen particles, and a chitosan self-healing hydrogel containing bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). The multi-channel PCL conduit directed axonal growth, while gradient collagen particles enabled sustained NT3 release. The self-healing hydrogel provided tunable mechanics supporting BMSCs proliferation. In a rat complete SCI model, Poly_NT3_gel reduced lesion volume and fibrosis and improved neural bridging, locomotor function, and urinary recovery. Single-nucleus RNA sequencing highlighted bioscaffold-mediated restoration of transcriptional profile, as well as a microenvironment that suppressed post-injury fibroblast proliferation while modulating immune responses. This work established a multicomponent tissue engineering system that synergized physical, biochemical, and cellular cues to overcome key challenges in SCI repair, offering a promising strategy for neural regeneration and functional recovery after SCI.AcknowledgementsWe would like to extend our gratitude to the Animal Research Laboratory Platform and National Science and Technology Key Infrastructure on Translational Medicine at PUMCH for providing invaluable assistance of our research.FundingThis work is supported by Key Program of Beijing Natural Science Foundation (Z200025).Author informationAuthor notesThese authors contributed equally: Jiangang Zhang, Lifei Huang, Wen Guo, Xindan Zhang.Authors and AffiliationsDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, ChinaJiangang Zhang, Wen Guo, Junchen Wang, Chengao Gao, Jiliang Zhai & Yu ZhaoDepartment of Head and Neck Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, ChinaJiangang ZhangState Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, ChinaLifei Huang, Xindan Zhang, Feng Xiong, Yonglai Lu, Jiajia Xue & Xing WangDepartment of Liver Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, ChinaHuayu Yang & Yilei MaoDepartment of Pathology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, ChinaTao LuDepartment of Radiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, ChinaBo HouDepartment of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, ChinaJunhao YanDepartment of Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Beijing, ChinaHuiyu YangAuthorsJiangang ZhangView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarLifei HuangView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarWen GuoView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarXindan ZhangView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarJunchen WangView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarChengao GaoView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarHuayu YangView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarYilei MaoView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarFeng XiongView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarTao LuView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarBo HouView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarJunhao YanView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarHuiyu YangView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarYonglai LuView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarJiliang ZhaiView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarYu ZhaoView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarJiajia XueView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarXing WangView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarCorresponding authorsCorrespondence to Jiliang Zhai, Yu Zhao, Jiajia Xue or Xing Wang.Ethics declarationsCompeting interestsThe authors declare no competing interests.Additional informationPublisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.Supplementary informationRights and permissionsOpen Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. 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