Translational Extracellular Matrix Spray-Coating Approach for Large-Scale Bioactive Surface Functionalization and...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Extracellular matrix (ECM) delivery platforms show promise for tissue repair.
• Clinical translation is hindered by scalability, fragility, and substrate limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a scalable spray-coating technique for activating ECM proteins.
• To functionalize diverse biomedical substrates with fibronectin (FN) and collagen (COL).

Main Methods:

• Utilized a spray-coating strategy with a commercial airbrush for uniform droplet deposition.
• Conformationally activated FN and COL via mechanical unfolding during spray deposition.
• Applied sprays to various substrates including sutures and dressings.

Main Results:

• Spray-coating achieved uniform ECM deposition without damaging substrates.
• Conformationally activated FN enhanced cell adhesion.
• Multi-ECM sprays promoted fibrillogenesis, matrix organization, and fibroblast activity.
• Achieved 88.2% wound closure and 66.6% COL density in a murine wound model.

Conclusions:

• ECM spray-coating is a scalable and bioactive platform for wound therapy.
• This method offers advanced surface functionalization for regenerative medicine.
• The technique overcomes limitations of traditional ECM delivery systems.