# PANoptosis: a new perspective for targeting programmed cell death after spinal cord injury

## TL;DR

This paper explores PANoptosis, a new concept in programmed cell death, as a potential target for treating spinal cord injury.

## Contribution

The paper introduces PANoptosis as a unified model integrating apoptosis, necroptosis, and pyroptosis in spinal cord injury.

## Key findings

- PANoptosis integrates multiple forms of programmed cell death into a single process via the PANoptosome complex.
- Targeting PANoptosis could offer a novel approach to reduce secondary injury in spinal cord injury.
- Further research is needed to validate the clinical potential of PANoptosis-targeted therapies.

## Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition characterized by a complex cascade of secondary injury following an initial mechanical insult. Among the mechanisms of secondary injury, multiple forms of programmed cell death (PCD)—including apoptosis, necroptosis, and pyroptosis—play key roles in tissue degeneration and loss of function. PANoptosis is a recently proposed concept of cell death that integrates the aforementioned three pro-inflammatory PCD pathways into a single process via a multi-protein complex called the PANoptosome. This review summarizes evidence for the involvement of PANoptosis in SCI pathophysiology and discusses intervention strategies targeting PANoptosis. Targeting PANoptosis offers a novel, holistic approach to mitigating secondary injury in SCI. However, its clinical translation remains challenging and requires further studies to validate efficacy and safety. Elucidating the assembly mechanisms of the PANoptosome and identifying critical regulatory molecules will aid in developing combination therapies and biomarkers to improve neuronal survival and functional recovery in patients with SCI.