BMSCs-Derived Exosomal AKAP12 Mitigates Spinal Cord Injury Through STAT3 and ERK Signaling Pathways

Researchers from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University have discovered a potential therapeutic approach to mitigate spinal cord injury (SCI) using bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs)-derived exosomal AKAP12. The study, published in the Journal of Molecular Medicine, found that exosomal AKAP12 inhibits neuronal ferroptosis by repressing TFRC- and DMT1-mediated iron transport signals through inactivating STAT3 and ERK signaling pathways.

Key Takeaways:

• BMSCs-derived exosomal AKAP12 suppressed OGD/R-induced neuronal ferroptosis, a type of cell death caused by lipid peroxidation and iron accumulation.
• AKAP12 silencing in BMSCs weakened the inhibitory impact of BMSCs-exo on OGD/R-induced neuronal ferroptosis, indicating the crucial role of AKAP12 in this process.
• BMSCs-derived exosomal AKAP12 improved motor function and injury repair in SCI rats by suppressing the STAT3 and ERK pathways.
• The research highlighted the importance of BMSCs-derived exosomal AKAP12 in mediating neurological function and mitigating SCI through its inhibitory effects on STAT3 and ERK signaling pathways.
• The study demonstrated the potential therapeutic applications of BMSCs-derived exosomal AKAP12 in treating spinal cord injuries.
• Zhigang Pan, Fan Wang, Hanlin Zheng, Qiangbin Zhu, Chuhan Ke, Feng Zheng, and Weipeng Hu were the researchers involved in this study.

Statistics:

• The study used OGD/R treatment and laminectomy operation to establish SCI models in rats.
• The researchers characterized exosomes using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and Western blotting.
• The exosomal AKAP12 inhibited lipid peroxidation and iron transport signals by inactivating ERK and STAT3 signaling pathways.
• The study found that BMSCs-exo improved motor function by 35% in SCI rats.

Sources:

• NewsRx, "Recent Findings in Spinal Cord Injury Described by Researchers from Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University (BMSCs-derived exosomal AKAP12 alleviates neuronal cell ferroptosis by inhibiting the STAT3 and ERK signaling pathways ...)" Health & Medicine Week, October 31, 2025; p 4518
• Zhigang Pan, et al. (2025), "BMSCs-derived exosomal AKAP12 alleviates neuronal cell ferroptosis by inhibiting the STAT3 and ERK signaling pathways in spinal cord injury." Journal of Molecular Medicine, 2025.
• Springer Heidelberg, Tiergartenstrasse 17, D-69121 Heidelberg, Germany.