Aligned porous fibrous membrane with a biomimetic surface to accelerate cartilage regeneration

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Vol. 370; pp. 1027 - 1038
• Main Authors: Ren, Xiaozhi, Li, Jinxiu, Li, Jiayi, Jiang, Yuqi, Li, Lan, Yao, Qingqiang, Ke, Qinfei, Xu, He
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 15.08.2019
• Subjects: Aligned porous structure; Cartilage tissue engineering; Chondroitin sulfate; Electrospun membrane; Polydopamine; Cartilage tissue engineering; Polydopamine; Aligned porous structure; Chondroitin sulfate; Electrospun membrane
• ISSN: 1385-8947; 1873-3212
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2019.03.271

[Display omitted] •We firstly fabricated the aligned porous fibrous scaffolds with biomimetic surfaces.•There are nanopores in situ generated onto the surface of the aligned fibers.•Chondroitin sulfate was grafted on the surface of fibers through polydopamine coatings.•The prepared scaffolds significantly promoted the growth of chondrocytes in vitro.•The composite scaffolds exhibited high chondrogenic capacity in vivo. Due to the poor self-regenerative capacity of native cartilage, the treatment of articular cartilage defects is a significant clinical challenge. The cartilage tissue engineered scaffolds with high chondrogenic capacity might provide an efficient strategy for the repair of cartilage defects. Herein, we report an aligned porous poly (l-lactic acid) (PLLA) electrospun fibrous membrane with a biomimetic surface for the rapid regeneration of cartilage tissue. The PLLA electrospun fibers aligned in a single direction and generated ellipse-shaped nanopores in situ onto the surface of the fibers. Subsequently, chondroitin sulfate (CS) was coated on the surface of the fibers using polydopamine (PDA) as an adhesive polymeric bridge. The in vitro results revealed that the aligned porous composite membranes with a biomimetic surface (PL/PDA/CS) could stimulate the attachment and proliferation of chondrocytes and rabbit bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs), as well as inducing chondrogenic gene expression in rBMSCs. Furthermore, the PL/PDA/CS membranes significantly facilitated the filling of defects and the regeneration of hyaline cartilage-like tissue in vivo. The results suggested that the hierarchical aligned porous fibrous electrospun membrane with a biomimetic surface modification is a potential therapeutic strategy for highly efficient cartilage defect repair.