Effects of a graphene oxide-alginate sheet scaffold on rotator cuff tendon healing in a rat model

Natural polymer scaffolds used to promote rotator cuff healing have limitations in terms of their mechanical and biochemical properties. This animal study aimed to investigate the effects of combined graphene oxide (GO) and alginate scaffold and the toxicity of GO on rotator cuff healing in a rat model.

First, the mechanical properties of a GO/alginate scaffold and a pure alginate scaffold were compared. The in vitro cytotoxicity of and proliferation of human tenocytes with the GO/alginate scaffold were evaluated by CCK-8 assay. For the in vivo experiment, 20 male rats were randomly divided into two groups (n = 10 each), and supraspinatus repair was performed: group 1 underwent supraspinatus repair alone, and group 2 underwent supraspinatus repair with the GO/alginate scaffold. Biomechanical and histological analyses were performed to evaluate the quality of tendon-to-bone healing 8 weeks after rotator cuff repair.

The GO/alginate scaffold exhibited an increased maximum load (p = .001) and tensile strength (p = .001). In the cytotoxicity test, the cell survival rate with the GO/alginate scaffold was 102.08%. The proliferation rate of human tenocytes was no significant difference between the GO/alginate and alginate groups for 1, 3, 5, and 7 days. Biomechanically, group 2 exhibited a significantly greater ultimate failure load (p < .001), ultimate stress (p < .001), and stiffness (p < .001) than group 1. The histological analysis revealed that the tendon-to-bone interface in group 2 showed more collagen fibers bridging, tendon-to-bone integration, longitudinally oriented collagen fibers, and fibrocartilage formation than in group 1.

A small amount of GO added to alginate improved the mechanical properties of the scaffold without evidence of cytotoxicity. At 8 weeks after rotator cuff repair, the GO/alginate scaffold improved tendon-to-bone healing without causing any signs of toxicity in a rat model.