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Article History

Received: 6 August 2025

Accepted: 10 November 2025

First Online: 14 January 2026

Change Date: 2 February 2026

Change Type: Update

Change Details: In this article the funding note has been corrected to Funding: Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province Science and Technology Department (H2021406056).

Declarations

:

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: This study was reviewed and approved by the Laboratory Animal Management and Ethics Committee of Chengde Medical University. The ethical approval reference number is CDMCLAC-20201001-001.

: This study strictly adhered to the 3R principles as follows: (1) Replacement. (1.1) Rats were utilized instead of higher mammals (e.g., primates) for nerve injury research. (1.2) Minimal sample size was determined using literature-based power analysis to avoid unnecessary in vivo experiments. (1.3) In vitro biocompatibility pre-testing (e.g., cytotoxicity assays) of scaffolds was conducted prior to animal implantation. (2) Reduction. (2.1) Statistical power analysis ( α  = 0.05, β  = 0.8) determined the minimal group size ( n  = 10). (2.2) Multiple endpoints (functional assessments, SFI/nerve conduction velocity; histological and molecular analyses, western blotting/immunohistochemistry) were integrated for each animal. (2.3) Shared control groups [normal (N) and model (M)] were used for all therapeutic group comparisons. (3) Refinement. (3.1) Surgical optimization: Microsurgical techniques ensured precise 10-mm nerve excision without adjacent tissue damage, and rats were anesthetized using an intraperitoneal injection of 2% sodium pentobarbital (40 mg/kg). (3.2) Intervention refinement: Standardized EA parameters (1 mA, 15 min) prevented overstimulation. Anatomical landmarks with electrophysiological verification were used for acupoint localization.

: Not applicable (data in this manuscript were derived from animal experiments and did not include any data from individuals).