Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, Viale Taramelli 12, Pavia 27100, Italy.
Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, LITA Viale Fratelli Cervi 93, Segrate 20090, Italy.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2023 Jun 7;15(22):26510-26524. doi: 10.1021/acsami.3c06144. Epub 2023 May 23.
Tendon disorders are common medical conditions, which can be greatly debilitating as they are often accompanied by great pain and inflammation. The techniques used nowadays for the treatment of chronic tendon injuries often involve surgery. However, one critical aspect of this procedure involves the scar tissue, characterized by mechanical properties that vary from healthy tissue, rendering the tendons inclined to reinjury or rupture. Synthetic polymers, such as thermoplastic polyurethane, are of special interest in the tissue engineering field as they allow the production of scaffolds with controlled elastic and mechanical properties, which could guarantee an effective support during the new tissue formation. The aim of this work was the design and the development of tubular nanofibrous scaffolds based on thermoplastic polyurethane and enriched with cerium oxide nanoparticles and chondroitin sulfate. The scaffolds were characterized by remarkable mechanical properties, especially when tubular aligned, reaching values comparable to the ones of the native tendons. A weight loss test was performed, suggesting a degradation in prolonged times. In particular, the scaffolds maintained their morphology and also remarkable mechanical properties after 12 weeks of degradation. The scaffolds promoted the cell adhesion and proliferation, in particular when in aligned conformation. Finally, the systems in vivo did not cause any inflammatory effect, representing interesting platforms for the regeneration of injured tendons.
肌腱疾病是常见的医学病症，常伴有剧烈疼痛和炎症，极大地削弱了患者的身体机能。目前治疗慢性肌腱损伤的技术通常涉及手术。然而，该手术程序的一个关键方面涉及到疤痕组织，其特征在于机械性能与健康组织不同，这使得肌腱容易再次受伤或破裂。热塑性聚氨酯等合成聚合物在组织工程领域特别受关注，因为它们可以生产出具有可控弹性和机械性能的支架，从而在新组织形成过程中提供有效的支撑。本工作旨在设计和开发基于热塑性聚氨酯的管状纳米纤维支架，并添加氧化铈纳米粒子和硫酸软骨素。支架具有显著的机械性能，尤其是在管状对齐时，达到了与天然肌腱相当的值。进行了重量损失测试，表明在延长时间内会发生降解。特别是，支架在降解 12 周后仍保持其形态和显著的机械性能。支架促进了细胞的黏附和增殖，尤其是在对齐的形态下。最后，体内系统没有引起任何炎症反应，为受伤肌腱的再生提供了有前途的平台。
