Introduction Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis is a common cause of low back or leg pain and disability in the elderly population. Patients with spinal stenosis who fail to respond to conservative treatment often require surgical interventions. Minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) with microscopic tubular technique (MT-TLIF) is a well-established procedure for lumbar spinal stenosis. Recently, a novel MIS technique, unilateral biportal endoscopic TLIF (UBE-TLIF), has been frequently performed to treat spinal stenosis. However, the efficacy and safety of using UBE-TLIF in this population have not been well examined. Methods and analysis A total of 96 patients with lumbar spinal stenosis will be randomly assigned to the UBE-TLIF group or the MT-TLIF group at a 1:1 ratio to receive UBE-TLIF or MT-TLIF treatment respectively. The primary outcome is the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score at 1 year after receiving the surgery. Secondary outcomes include the ODI scores at additional time points, Visual Analogue Scale score, 36-Item Short Form Survey questionnaire, EuroQol 5 Dimensions questionnaire, radiological measurements (disc height, lumbar lordosis angles and vertebral fusion rate) and general condition during hospitalisation. Ethics and dissemination This protocol is approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. All participants of the study will be well informed and written informed consent will be requested. Findings from this trial will be published in peer-reviewed publications, specifically in orthopedic and spinal journals. The completion of this study will not only examine the use of UBE-TLIF in lumbar spinal stenosis but also provide helpful clinical references. Trial registration number ChiCTR2300069333.

This study developed electroconductive GelMA/PCL/graphene oxide (GO) nanofibrous scaffolds and performed a preliminary in vitro evaluation for peripheral nerve repair, focusing on optimizing the GO concentration. GO (0.1–1.0 wt%) was incorporated into GelMA/PCL via electrospinning. The 1.0 wt% GO scaffold exhibited reduced fiber diameters (200–300 nm) and enhanced electrical conductivity (8.4 × 10⁻⁴ mS/cm). All scaffolds were superhydrophilic (contact angle ≈ 0°). Tensile strength and fracture strain increased up to 0.5 wt% GO but decreased at 1.0 wt% GO to levels not significantly different from those of the control. PC12 cells demonstrated robust adhesion, proliferation, and viability on all scaffolds. Under electrical stimulation (100 mV/cm), the 1.0 wt% GO scaffold promoted qualitative axonal elongation and directional alignment compared with scaffolds lacking GO or subjected to no electrical stimulation. Scaffold-immobilized GO showed no cytotoxicity in CCK-8 assays, indicating a favorable preliminary safety profile. These results highlight the potential of GelMA/PCL/1.0 wt% GO scaffolds as a promising platform for advanced nerve guidance conduits; however, further validation using primary neurons and in vivo models is required.