Li Mingguang, Wu Yang, Li Hao, Tan Chang, Ma Shuai, Gong Jin, Dong Lu, Huang Wei, Li Xinzhi, Deng Hongbing
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Affiliated Renhe Hospital of China Three Gorges University, Third-grade Pharmacological Laboratory on Traditional Chinese Medicine, State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443000, China.
Hubei Key Laboratory of Biomass Resource Chemistry and Environmental Biotechnology, Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Sustainable Resource and Energy, School of Resource and Environmental Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China.
Carbohydr Polym. 2023 Jan 1;299:120193. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.120193. Epub 2022 Oct 7.
Injectable hydrogels effectively remodel degenerative nucleus pulposus (NP) with a resemblance to the in vivo microenvironment. However, the pressure within the intervertebral disc requires load-bearing implants. The hydrogel must undergo a rapid phase transition upon injection to avoid leakage. In this study, an injectable sodium alginate hydrogel was reinforced with silk fibroin nanofibers with core-shell structures. The nanofiber-embedded hydrogel provided support to adjacent tissues and facilitated cell proliferation. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) was incorporated into the core-shell nanofibers for sustained release and enhanced NP regeneration. The composite hydrogel exhibited excellent compressive strength and enabled leak-proof delivery of PRP. In rat intervertebral disc degeneration models, radiography and MRI signal intensities were significantly reduced after 8 weeks of injections with the nanofiber-reinforced hydrogel. The biomimetic fiber gel-like structure was constructed in situ, providing mechanical support for NP repair, promoting the reconstruction of the tissue microenvironment, and finally realizing the regeneration of NP.
可注射水凝胶能够有效地重塑退变的髓核（NP），使其类似于体内微环境。然而，椎间盘内的压力需要承重植入物。水凝胶在注射时必须经历快速的相变以避免渗漏。在本研究中，一种可注射的海藻酸钠水凝胶用具有核壳结构的丝素蛋白纳米纤维进行了增强。嵌入纳米纤维的水凝胶为相邻组织提供支撑并促进细胞增殖。富含血小板血浆（PRP）被纳入核壳纳米纤维以实现持续释放并增强NP再生。复合水凝胶表现出优异的抗压强度，并能够实现PRP的防渗漏递送。在大鼠椎间盘退变模型中，注射纳米纤维增强水凝胶8周后，X线摄影和MRI信号强度显著降低。仿生纤维凝胶样结构原位构建，为NP修复提供机械支撑，促进组织微环境的重建，最终实现NP的再生。
