Bamboo-Inspired Composite Conduit Accelerates Peripheral Nerve Regeneration through Synergistic Oriented Structure...

Slow axon growth is a critical factor that limits regeneration after long-segment peripheral nerve injury (PNI). Herein, a bamboo-inspired scaffold accelerates nerve regeneration through a directional hollow-tube bilayer structure and biomimetic piezoelectric property. The outer hydrogel of the scaffold exhibits sufficient fatigue resistance after 100 cycles of stretching, while the interior fiber provides an oriented topological cue. Inspired by the bending-piezoelectric property of bamboo cellulose, the piezoelectric signal in poly(vinyl alcohol) is detected for the first time, measuring approximately 20 mV. To enhance voltage-driven nerve regeneration, the scaffold's piezoelectricity is improved to 0.95 ± 0.02 V by optimizing its non-centrosymmetric structure, increasing permanent dipole moment, and facilitating electron-hole separation. Owing to its biomimetic structure and piezoelectricity, the scaffold promotes a 3.1-fold increase in axon length, a 1.6-fold improvement in myelin diameter, and maximizes angiogenesis, reaching 71.25 ± 21.87 vessels per mm² in vivo. Overall, this bamboo-inspired conduit has the potential to significantly improve regeneration efficiency and functional reconstruction in cases of long-segment PNI.