Braided nanofibrous scaffold for tendon and ligament tissue engineering

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Tendon and ligament (T/L) injuries heal poorly, often resulting in scar tissue with compromised mechanical function.
• Tissue engineering offers a promising alternative to natural healing for T/L repair.
• Developing advanced biomaterials is crucial for effective T/L regeneration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and characterize novel braided nanofibrous scaffolds (BNFSs) for T/L tissue engineering.
• To evaluate the mechanical properties and biocompatibility of BNFSs.
• To assess the ability of BNFSs to support stem cell behavior and tenogenic differentiation.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of BNFSs using electrospun poly(L-lactic acid) nanofibers in varying bundle configurations (3, 4, or 5).
• Mechanical testing (Young's modulus, yield stress, ultimate stress) of acellular BNFSs.
• In vitro culture of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) on BNFSs, assessing adhesion, proliferation, gene expression, and differentiation under specific culture conditions.

Main Results:

• BNFSs exhibited tunable mechanical properties based on the number of nanofiber bundles.
• Acellular BNFSs demonstrated tri-phasic mechanical behavior similar to native T/L tissues.
• hMSCs adhered, aligned, proliferated, and maintained pluripotency on BNFSs.
• BNFSs promoted hMSC tenogenic differentiation, evidenced by Scleraxis gene upregulation, when cultured with growth factors and cyclic tensile strain.

Conclusions:

• Braided nanofibrous scaffolds (BNFSs) are a versatile platform for T/L tissue engineering.
• BNFSs effectively support both stem cell expansion and directed differentiation towards the tenogenic lineage.
• These findings highlight the potential of BNFSs for developing improved T/L repair strategies.