Background: Intervertebral disc degeneration remains a major therapeutic challenge, with biomedical interventions increasingly regarded as promising options. Methods: An implantable red blood cell–based gel incorporating interleukin-33 was developed to promote disc tissue repair. Results: Following implantation, the gel functioned as an efficient drug carrier while attracting a substantial population of macrophages, subsequently guiding their polarization through different phases to optimize the disc microenvironment. Conclusions: This strategy slowed the progression of disc degeneration by stimulating the proliferation of nucleus pulposus cells, suppressing apoptosis, and driving macrophage differentiation toward the M2 phenotype.
Wang et al. (Mon,) studied this question.