Prussian Blue Nanoparticles Stabilize SOD1 from Ubiquitination‐Proteasome Degradation to Rescue Intervertebral Disc Degeneration

Discography often destroys the hypoxic environment in the intervertebral disc and accelerates intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). Therefore, it often fails to meet the requirements for application in clinical practice. This technology mainly increases the reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the IVD. As so, it is particularly critical to develop strategies to avoid this degeneration mechanism. Prussian blue nanoparticles (PBNPs) are found to enhance development under magnetic resonance T1 and have antioxidant enzyme activity. The key results of the present study confirm that PBNPs alleviate intracellular oxidative stress and increase the intracellular activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1). PBNPs can rescue nucleus pulposus cell degeneration by increasing oxidoreductase system‐related mRNA and proteins, especially by stabilizing SOD1 from ubiquitination‐proteasome degradation, thus improving the mitochondrial structure to increase antioxidation ability, and finally rescuing ROS‐induced IVDD in a rat model. Therefore, it is considered that PBNPs can be a potential antioxidation‐protective discography contrast agent. Antioxidant enzyme‐like Prussian blue nanoparticles (PBNPs) can scavenge extracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), inhibit the ubiquitin‐proteasome degradation of superoxide dismutase 1 in the cytoplasm to eliminate intracellular ROS, and activate the transcription of antioxidant enzymes. Under these three key mechanisms, PBNPs can eventually activate nucleus pulposus cell viability, reconstruct the extracellular matrix of nucleus pulposus, rescue ROS‐mediated intervertebral disc degeneration.