Cobweb-Inspired Micro/Nanostructured Scaffolds for Soft Tissue Regeneration with Inhibition Effect of Fibrosis under Dynamic Environment

In soft tissue repair, fibrosis can lead to repair failure and long-term chronic pain in patients. Excessive mechanical stimulation of fibroblasts is one of the causes of fibrosis during abdominal wall regeneration. Inspired by the cobweb, a polycaprolactone beaded fiber is prepared by electrospinning. The cobweb-inspired structure attenuates the mechanical stimulation of cells under a dynamic environment. Nano-protrusions are introduced into the scaffold for further inhibition of fibrosis by self-induced crystallization. A machine is built for in vitro dynamic culture and rat abdominal subcutaneous embedding experiments are performed to verify the inhibiting effect of fibrosis in a dynamic environment in vivo. Results show that the expression of integrin & beta;1 and & alpha;-smooth muscle actin is inhibited by the cobweb-inspired structure under dynamic culture. The results of hematoxylin and eosin and Masson's trichrome indicate that the cobweb-inspired structure has a good inhibitory effect on fibrosis in a dynamic environment in vivo. In general, the cobweb-inspired scaffold with nano-protrusions has a good ability to inhibit fibrosis under both static and dynamic environments. It is believed that the scaffold has promising applications in the field of inhibiting fibrosis caused by mechanical stimulation. Excessive mechanical stimulation induces fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation and fibrosis. Inspired by the cobweb, a scaffold consisting of nanofibers and micron-scale beads is constructed to inhibit mechanical stimulation under a dynamic environment by scaffold deformation. Nano-protrusions are combined to inhibit fibrosis under a static environment. As a result, fibrosis is regulated by the fiber structure and surface topology.image

Automated summary

This research successfully inhibits fibrosis caused by mechanical stimulation by using a scaffold inspired by cobwebs and introducing nano-protrusions. The inhibitory effect of fibrosis in a dynamic environment is verified through in vivo experiments.