Injectable therapeutic system incorporating neurogenesis-programmed stem cells concomitantly promoting muscle regeneration treats stress urinary incontinence
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) remains a significant clinical challenge due to the lack of strategies that simultaneously address muscle degeneration, neurogenic atrophy, and vascular deficits. Here, we report an innovative injectable system that combines a thermo-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-COOH/leucine/decellularized extracellular matrix hydrogel with adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) pre-programmed by zeolitic imidazolate framework-8/polyethylene glycol 200@magnesium (ZIF-8/PEG200@Mg) nanoparticles. In vitro, programmed ADSCs exhibit enhanced neurogenic differentiation, while the hydrogels support robust myogenic activity and cell viability. In a female rat model of SUI-chosen to reflect the higher prevalence of SUI in women-the composite system leads to a marked improvement in leak point pressure (LPP) and restores urethral sphincter function. Mechanistic analyses reveals upregulation of muscle regeneration (e.g., Myoz1, Smyd1) and neurogenesis/neuromuscular junction stabilization (NMJ) stabilization genes (e.g., Dok7, Musk), highlighting a coordinated multi-lineage regenerative process. This work establishes an integrated regeneration-plus-support injectable strategy, offering a regenerative medicine-based approach that surpasses conventional bulking or sling therapies for SUI.
Authors
- Guo Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8698-5423)
- Ming Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9843-3848)
- Wenzhuo Fang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4870-3382)
- Xuan Du (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9589-3566)
- Meng Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1333-3061)
- Ranxing Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4670-7795)
- Yangwang Jin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-4315-1552)
- Ying Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1162-8699)
- Qiang Fu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1704-5566)
Institutions
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- Tongren Hospital (CN)
- Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-09-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63421-2
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Pelvic floor disorders treatments
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.67
Funders
- Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University