{
  "abstract": "Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) represents a leading cause of chronic low back pain worldwide, imposing considerable public health and socioeconomic burdens. Current clinical interventions remain largely palliative, unable to reverse the progressive pathological cascade. This cascade is driven by a core self-amplifying triad of oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and nutrient deprivation within the unique avascular, high-load disc niche, and ultimately progresses to end-stage terminal phenotypes such as biomechanical failure and neurovascular ingrowth. Over recent years, biomaterial-based regenerative strategies have evolved from passive structural fillers toward multifunctional platforms capable of active microenvironmental reprogramming. This review provides a systematic, critical synthesis of state-of-the-art advances in the field, organized within a hierarchical framework spanning immunometabolic modulation of the degenerative niche and targeted delivery of cellular and molecular therapeutics with further elaboration of precision-stratified design and whole-disc tissue engineering. We critically appraise evidence maturity across different strategy classes and dissect disc-specific translational barriers, noting that most candidate platforms remain at preclinical validation stages. Building on this analysis, we outline priority research directions and realistic near-term translational milestones to guide rational development of next-generation regenerative platforms toward durable functional disc repair.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Chinese Medicine, Cangzhou Clinical College of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine of Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine in Osteoarthrosis Research, Cangzhou, 061000, China",
    "Department of Orthopaedics, Wuxi Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Jiangsu CM Clinical Innovation Center of Degenerative Bone and Joint Disease, Wuxi, 214000, China",
    "Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China",
    "Department of Chinese Medicine, Cangzhou Clinical College of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine of Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine in Osteoarthrosis Research, Cangzhou, 061000, China; Corresponding authors.",
    "Department of Rehabilitation, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230000, China; Corresponding author. Department of Rehabilitation, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230000, China.",
    "Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hebei Medical University Third Hospital, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050051, China; Corresponding authors. Department of Orthopaedics, Hebei Medical University Third Hospital, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050051, China.",
    "Department of Orthopaedics, Wuxi Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Jiangsu CM Clinical Innovation Center of Degenerative Bone and Joint Disease, Wuxi, 214000, China; Corresponding author."
  ],
  "article_type": "review article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 16,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Xuequan Zhao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xixi Han"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Zhuoyi Hu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Yu Chen"
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    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xiwen Wang"
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    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Qinglei Liu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xueliang Hu"
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    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Qiang Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jiaojiao Yue"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yanhao Ge"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yaying Ma"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yixuan Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Zhongyong Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Fei Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Wei Chen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Yafeng Zhang"
    }
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  "doi": "10.1016/j.bioactmat.2026.10.026",
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  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioactmat.2026.10.026",
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  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
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  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
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  "pmcid": "PMC13721008",
  "pmid": "42964622",
  "published": "2026-10-23",
  "publisher": "KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.",
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  "subjects": [
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      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2734|Spine and Intervertebral Disc Pathology",
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  "title": "Breaking the degenerative triad: Microenvironment reprogramming biomaterials for intervertebral disc regeneration",
  "title_text": "Breaking the degenerative triad: Microenvironment reprogramming biomaterials for intervertebral disc regeneration",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-03T12:21:46Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9jn9srmbawbcq",
  "venue": "Bioactive Materials",
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