Coaxial Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes as Dual-Functional Biomimetic Tendon Sheath for Tendon Repair and Anti-Peritendinous Adhesion

Abstract

Tendon injuries often exhibit limited healing capacity, frequently complicated by peritendinous adhesion, posing a substantial challenge in clinical tendon repair. Although present biomaterial-based membranes offer a promising strategy for tendon treatment, their clinical application is hindered by inflammation-induced adhesion. Herein, this study presents a dual-functional biomimetic tendon sheath based on a coaxial electrospun nanofibrous membrane for enhancing tendon repair and simultaneously preventing peritendinous adhesion. This nanofibrous membrane is fabricated using a coaxial electrospinning method, encapsulating celecoxib-loaded polycaprolactone (PCL) within gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) shell. Both in vitro and in vivo analysis results demonstrated that such coaxial biomimetic tendon sheath enhanced tenogenic differentiation of tendon stem/progenitor cells (TSPCs) due to nanofibrous GelMA shell providing a suitable microenvironment surface. Simultaneously, the sustained release of celecoxib (CEL) from the core is able to significantly decrease the expression of inflammatory cytokines. Notably, in vivo assessments in animal models with patellar tendon defects revealed significant reductions in peritendinous adhesion, leading to further enhancement in tendon repair. These results underscore the potential of the coaxial nanofibrous membrane as a dual-functional biomimetic tendon sheath, offering a promising avenue for the long-term management of tendon injuries.

Keywords: anti‐peritendinous adhesions; biomimetic tendon sheath; coaxial electrospinning; nanofibrous membrane; tendon repair.