Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA.
The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA.
Nat Commun. 2023 Oct 6;14(1):6257. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-41594-y.
Osteoarthritis affects millions of people worldwide but current treatments using analgesics or anti-inflammatory drugs only alleviate symptoms of this disease. Here, we present an injectable, biodegradable piezoelectric hydrogel, made of short electrospun poly-L-lactic acid nanofibers embedded inside a collagen matrix, which can be injected into the joints and self-produce localized electrical cues under ultrasound activation to drive cartilage healing. In vitro, data shows that the piezoelectric hydrogel with ultrasound can enhance cell migration and induce stem cells to secrete TGF-β1, which promotes chondrogenesis. In vivo, the rabbits with osteochondral critical-size defects receiving the ultrasound-activated piezoelectric hydrogel show increased subchondral bone formation, improved hyaline-cartilage structure, and good mechanical properties, close to healthy native cartilage. This piezoelectric hydrogel is not only useful for cartilage healing but also potentially applicable to other tissue regeneration, offering a significant impact on the field of regenerative tissue engineering.
骨关节炎影响着全球数以百万计的人，但目前使用镇痛剂或抗炎药物的治疗方法只能缓解这种疾病的症状。在这里，我们提出了一种可注射的、可生物降解的压电水凝胶，由短电纺聚 L-乳酸纳米纤维嵌入胶原基质制成，可注射到关节内，并在超声激活下自行产生局部电信号，以驱动软骨愈合。体外数据表明，超声作用下的压电水凝胶可以增强细胞迁移，并诱导干细胞分泌 TGF-β1，从而促进软骨生成。体内实验中，接受超声激活的压电水凝胶治疗的兔骨软骨临界尺寸缺损模型显示出骨下骨形成增加、透明软骨结构改善以及良好的机械性能，接近健康的天然软骨。这种压电水凝胶不仅对软骨愈合有用，而且可能适用于其他组织再生，对再生组织工程领域具有重要意义。
