Harland Bruce, Matter Lukas, Lopez Salvador, Fackelmeier Barbara, Hazelgrove Brittany, Meissner Svenja, O'Carroll Simon, Raos Brad, Asplund Maria, Svirskis Darren
School of Pharmacy, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Nat Commun. 2025 Jun 26;16(1):5372. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-60332-0.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) can cause permanent loss of sensory, motor, and autonomic functions, with limited therapeutic options available. Low-frequency electric fields with changing polarity have shown promise in promoting axon regeneration and improving outcomes. However, the metal electrodes used previously were prone to corrosion, and their epidural placement limited the penetration of the electric field into the spinal cord. Here, we demonstrate that a thin-film implant with supercapacitive electrodes placed under the dura mater can safely and effectively deliver electric field treatment in rats with thoracic SCI. Subdural stimulation enhanced hind limb function and touch sensitivity compared to controls, without inducing a neuroinflammatory response in the spinal cord. While axon density around the lesion site remained unchanged after 12 weeks, in vivo monitoring and electrochemical testing of electrodes indicated that treatment was administered throughout the study. These results highlight the promise of electric field treatment as a viable therapeutic strategy for achieving long-term functional recovery in SCI.
脊髓损伤（SCI）可导致感觉、运动和自主神经功能的永久性丧失，目前可用的治疗选择有限。具有变化极性的低频电场已显示出促进轴突再生和改善预后的潜力。然而，以前使用的金属电极容易腐蚀，并且它们的硬膜外放置限制了电场进入脊髓的穿透深度。在这里，我们证明了一种带有超级电容电极的薄膜植入物放置在硬脑膜下，可以在胸段脊髓损伤的大鼠中安全有效地进行电场治疗。与对照组相比，硬膜下刺激增强了后肢功能和触觉敏感性，且未在脊髓中诱发神经炎症反应。虽然损伤部位周围的轴突密度在12周后保持不变，但电极的体内监测和电化学测试表明，整个研究过程中都在进行治疗。这些结果突出了电场治疗作为一种可行的治疗策略，有望在脊髓损伤中实现长期功能恢复。
