Prevention of peritendinous adhesions with electrospun polyethylene glycol/polycaprolactone nanofibrous membranes

Postoperative adhesion formation is the major complication that could occur after acute tendon surgery. The application of an anti-adhesive membrane at the post-surgical site is deemed as a potential way to solve this problem by preventing adhesive fibrotic tissue development. In this study, we fabricated electrospun composite poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)/poly(caprolactone) (PCL) nanofibrous membrane (NFM) to prevent peritendinous adhesions, which could act as a barrier between the tendon and surrounding tissues, without interrupting mass transfer and normal tendon gliding. PCL/PEG NFMs of 0% PEG (PCL), 25% PEG (25PECL), 50% PEG (50PECL) and 75% PEG (75PECL) were prepared and characterized for physico-chemical properties. The PCL NFM shows the lowest protein permeability while 25PECL NFM exhibited the largest fiber diameter, smallest pore size and the largest ultimate stress and strain. The 75PECL NFM had the lowest water contact angle and the highest Young's modulus. In vitro cell adhesion and migration experiments with fibroblasts indicate that all NFMs could prevent cell penetration, with 75PECL NFM having the least cell attachment. In vivo application of 75PECL NFM on the repaired site of rabbit flexor tendon rupture model demonstrated improved efficacy compared with the PCL NFM and a commercial anti-adhesion barrier (Seprafilm™), from gross observation, histological analysis and functional assays. We concluded that 75PECL NFM could function as an effective anti-adhesion membrane after tendon surgery in a clinical setting.