{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,3]],"date-time":"2026-09-03T05:16:12Z","timestamp":1788412572905,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787875200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["32401165"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["32401165"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["32401165"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["32401165"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01h0zpd94","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Antioxidants"],"abstract":"<jats:p>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.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/antiox15091082","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T18:33:52Z","timestamp":1787942032000},"page":"1082","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Ergothioneine-Derived Carbon Dot Nanozymes Alleviate the Oxidative Stress Microenvironment to Delay Intervertebral Disc Degeneration"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Ziyang","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"The First School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"},{"name":"School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions for Nucleic Acid & Cell Fate Regulation, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kehan","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The First School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions for Nucleic Acid & Cell Fate Regulation, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hao","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The First School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions for Nucleic Acid & Cell Fate Regulation, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yu","family":"Shi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The First School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions for Nucleic Acid & Cell Fate Regulation, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Huihui","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The First School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"},{"name":"School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions for Nucleic Acid & Cell Fate Regulation, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1545","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(16)31678-6","article-title":"Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 310 diseases and injuries, 1990\u20132015: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015","volume":"388","author":"Vos","year":"2016","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5601593","DOI":"10.1155\/2017\/5601593","article-title":"ROS: Crucial Intermediators in the Pathogenesis of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration","volume":"2017","author":"Feng","year":"2017","journal-title":"Oxidative Med. 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