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Open AccessArticle
Ergothioneine-Derived Carbon Dot Nanozymes Alleviate the Oxidative Stress Microenvironment to Delay Intervertebral Disc Degeneration
by
Ziyang Zhang
Ziyang Zhang
Kehan Wang
Kehan Wang
Hao Chen
Hao Chen
Yu Shi
Yu Shi
Huihui Wang
Huihui Wang
1
The First School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
2
School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
3
Key Laboratory of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions for Nucleic Acid & Cell Fate Regulation, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Antioxidants 2026, 15(9), 1082; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15091082 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 30 June 2026
/
Revised: 20 August 2026
/
Accepted: 25 August 2026
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Published: 28 August 2026
Abstract
Nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) age mainly because reactive oxygen species (ROS) build up too much. Excess ROS is associated with intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). In this study, we prepared ergothioneine-derived carbon dots (EGT-Fe-CDs) as an antioxidant nanozyme. EGT-Fe-CDs showed good biocompatibility, superoxide dismutase-like and catalase-like activities, and high total antioxidant capacity. In H2O2-treated NPCs, EGT-Fe-CDs reduced cell damage. Local EGT-Fe-CDs treatment also reduced degeneration in the animal model, based on imaging, disc height index (DHI), and Pfirrmann grade. EGT-Fe-CDs also reduced mitochondrial damage associated with excess ROS. They slow down NPC ageing and help control IVDD. Based on these characteristics, the nanozyme could be a useful option for clinical therapy in the future.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Zhang, Z.; Wang, K.; Chen, H.; Shi, Y.; Wang, H.
Ergothioneine-Derived Carbon Dot Nanozymes Alleviate the Oxidative Stress Microenvironment to Delay Intervertebral Disc Degeneration. Antioxidants 2026, 15, 1082.
https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15091082
AMA Style
Zhang Z, Wang K, Chen H, Shi Y, Wang H.
Ergothioneine-Derived Carbon Dot Nanozymes Alleviate the Oxidative Stress Microenvironment to Delay Intervertebral Disc Degeneration. Antioxidants. 2026; 15(9):1082.
https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15091082
Chicago/Turabian Style
Zhang, Ziyang, Kehan Wang, Hao Chen, Yu Shi, and Huihui Wang.
2026. "Ergothioneine-Derived Carbon Dot Nanozymes Alleviate the Oxidative Stress Microenvironment to Delay Intervertebral Disc Degeneration" Antioxidants 15, no. 9: 1082.
https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15091082
APA Style
Zhang, Z., Wang, K., Chen, H., Shi, Y., & Wang, H.
(2026). Ergothioneine-Derived Carbon Dot Nanozymes Alleviate the Oxidative Stress Microenvironment to Delay Intervertebral Disc Degeneration. Antioxidants, 15(9), 1082.
https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15091082
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