Nanofibrous polycaprolactone/chitosan membranes for preventing postsurgical tendon adhesion

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine
• Hand Surgery

Background:

• Peritendinous adhesion is a significant postsurgical complication in hand surgery, often managed with early mobilization.
• Developing novel treatments to guide tissue regeneration and minimize tendon adhesion is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize electrospun nanofibrous membranes (NFMs) using polycaprolactone (PCL) and chitosan.
• To create a physical barrier to prevent cellular migration and reduce postsurgical tendon adhesion.
• To optimize NFM mechanical properties for integrity during early tendon mobilization.

Main Methods:

• Electrospinning of PCL and chitosan solutions to create nanofibrous membranes.
• Optimization of polymer concentrations, electrospinning parameters, and membrane thickness.
• Evaluation of mechanical properties (tensile strength) in wet/dry conditions after cyclic loading.
• Assessment of mechanical strength after 30-day degradation.
• In vitro cell culture tests to evaluate fibroblast attachment.

Main Results:

• An optimal NFM composition of 5 wt% PCL + 2 wt% chitosan at 400 rpm drum speed was identified.
• The optimized NFMs exhibited mechanical integrity, withstanding 33 N (dry) and 19 N (after 1000 cycles).
• The PCL/chitosan NFMs showed appropriate mechanical integrity and degradation rates.
• In vitro tests indicated minimal impact on fibroblast attachment, likely due to amine group protonation.

Conclusions:

• Optimized PCL/chitosan NFMs serve as effective physical barriers against cellular migration, mitigating postsurgical tendon adhesions.
• The developed NFMs possess suitable mechanical properties and degradation profiles for supporting tendon healing and early mobilization.
• This biomaterial approach offers a promising strategy for reducing tendon adhesion complications in hand surgery.