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Updated: Feb 13, 2026

Effects of Allogeneic Platelet-Rich Plasma PRP on the Healing Process of Sectioned Achilles Tendons of Rats: A Methodological Description
Published on: March 19, 2018
Orchestrating the immuno-chondrogenic microenvironment via a bio-inorganic hybrid microsphere system for
Wencai Liu1, Yuhao Yu1, Hui Xu1
1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200233, China.
Abstract:
The structural failure of rotator cuff repair is largely attributed to fibrovascular scar formation driven by a persistent inflammatory microenvironment and insufficient fibrocartilage regeneration at the tendon-to-bone interface. To address this, a microfluidic-generated GelMA microsphere system co-encapsulating Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 (ZIF-8) nanoparticles and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC)-derived small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) is developed. This composite system (ZIF-8/sEVs@MS) enables the sustained release of Zn2+ and sEVs, which synergistically reprogram macrophages (Mφ) from a pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype to a reparative M2 state and restore the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis for endogenous stem cell recruitment. Transcriptomic analysis elucidates that the system reactivates the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, thereby reversing inflammation-mediated inhibition and driving chondrogenic differentiation. In a rat rotator cuff repair model, the functionalized microspheres significantly enhance fibrocartilaginous enthesis regeneration, biomechanical structural integrity, and limb function. This study establishes a dual-functional "immuno-chondrogenic" strategy that coordinates immune microenvironment modulation with tissue-specific differentiation to facilitate functional tendon-to-bone healing.
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