Evidence mapPaperPMID 41749221Full record

ArticleJournal of nanobiotechnology2026

Engineering integrin αvβ8-targeted extracellular vesicles to deliver BDNF mRNA for motor recovery in spinal cord injury.

Ming-You Shie, Cheng-Di Chiu, Yeh Chen, Yen-Hong Lin, Min-Hua Yu, You-Pen Chiu, Po-Fan Chiu, Cheng-Yu Chen, Yi-Wen Chen, Mei-Chih Chen and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of nanobiotechnology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
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

11 authors.

Ming-You Shie *Department of Biomedical Engineering, China Medical University, Taichung, 406040, Taiwan. eric@mail.cmu.edu.tw.
Cheng-Di Chiu *School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, 406040, Taiwan.
Yeh Chen *Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 402202, Taiwan.
Yen-Hong LinDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, China Medical University, Taichung, 406040, Taiwan.
Min-Hua YuXenotransplantation Translational Research Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, 404327, Taiwan.
You-Pen ChiuGraduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung, 406040, Taiwan.
Po-Fan ChiuSpine Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
Cheng-Yu ChenResearch & Development Center for x-Dimensional Extracellular Vesicles, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, 404327, Taiwan.
Yi-Wen ChenGraduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung, 406040, Taiwan.
Mei-Chih ChenTranslational Cell Therapy Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, 404327, Taiwan.
Der-Yang ChoXenotransplantation Translational Research Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, 404327, Taiwan. dycho1212@gmail.com.

Funding

China Medical University Hospital EXO-112-005 and EXO-113-007China Medical University, Taiwan CMU114-MF-16National Science and Technology Council NSTC 112-2628-E-039-001-MY3National Science and Technology Council NSTC 114-2314-B-039-044-MY3National Science and Technology Council NSTC 114-2327-B-039-001National Science and Technology Council NSTC 114-2811-E-039-001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) remains difficult to treat, and current interventions provide limited functional restoration and often require invasive procedures. Existing cell- or extracellular vesicles (EV)-based approaches are frequently administered alongside surgery, limiting therapeutic reach and overall efficacy. In this study, we developed an engineered extracellular vesicle (EV) platform by displaying a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) against integrin αvβ8 (αITGEV) and loading brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA (mBDNF). The construct maintained canonical EV identity and morphology, and showed predominant single particle co-positivity for targeting ligand and cargo. In neuron-microglia co-culture, mBDNF@αITGEV preferentially entered both cell types under injury-relevant stress, shifted microglia toward a repair-associated phenotype, reduced TNF-α and IL-1β, increased IL-4 and IL-10, and preserved neuronal architecture. Our results indicate that mBDNF@αITG-EVs significantly promote functional motor recovery by modulating the inflammatory microenvironment and inhibiting neuronal ferroptosis. Mechanistically, the delivery of BDNF mRNA bolstered GPX4 expression and stabilized mitochondrial dynamics, thereby mitigating secondary oxidative damage. This study provides a non-invasive strategy for precision nanomedicine in neuro-regeneration. Collectively, this study supports a non-invasive systemically administered, targeted EV-mRNA therapeutic strategy for spinal cord injury with translational potential.

Indexed as

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic FactorExtracellular VesiclesRNA, MessengerSpinal Cord InjuriesAnimalsCoculture TechniquesFemaleHumansMiceMicrogliaNeuronsRecovery of FunctionBrain-Derived Neurotrophic FactorRNA, MessengerBDNF mRNAExtracellular vesiclesIntegrinMicroglial polarizationSpinal cord injury

Identifiers

PMID41749221
PMCPMC13040749

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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 Socratic graph.