Gelatin nanofiber-reinforced decellularized amniotic membrane promotes axon regeneration and functional recovery in the surgical treatment of peripheral nerve injury

Effective recovery of peripheral nerve injury (PNI) after surgical treatment relies on promoting axon regeneration and minimizing the fibrotic response. Decellularized amniotic membrane (dAM) has unique features as a natural matrix for promoting PNI repair due to its pro-regenerative extracellular matrix (ECM) structure and antiinflammatory properties. However, the fragile nature and rapid degradation rate of dAM limit its widespread use in PNI surgery. Here we report an engineered composite membrane for PNI repair by combining dAM with gelatin (Gel) nanofiber membrane to construct a Gel nanofiber-dAM composite membrane (Gel-dAM) through interfacial bonding. The Gel-dAM showed enhanced mechanical properties and reduced degradation rate, while retaining maximal bioactivity and biocompatibility of dAM. These factors led to improved axon regeneration, reduced fibrotic response, and better functional recovery in PNI repair. As a fully natural materials-derived offthe-shelf matrix, Gel-dAM exhibits superior clinical translational potential for the surgical treatment of PNI.

Automated summary

An engineered composite membrane, Gel nanofiber-dAM, consisting of gelatin nanofiber membrane and decellularized amniotic membrane, showed improved mechanical properties and biocompatibility, promoting axon regeneration and reducing fibrotic response in peripheral nerve injury repair. It exhibits great potential for clinical translation in surgical treatment of PNI as a fully natural materials-derived off-the-shelf matrix.