Molecular dynamic characteristics of rat gastrocnemius muscle under acute and short-term exercise intervention during the subacute phase of spinal cord injury

• Acute exercise during subacute SCI upregulates cell cycle and DNA replication pathways, promoting proliferation in gastrocnemius muscle. • Short-term exercise downregulates inflammatory pathways (IL-17, TNF) and reduces expression of COMP, exerting anti-inflammatory effects. • Differential gene expression and pathway enrichment reveal time-dependent molecular responses to exercise after SCI. • Bioinformatics analysis identifies key hub genes (Top2a, Sele, COMP) as potential therapeutic targets for SCI rehabilitation.