Surgical repair of annulus defect with biomimetic multilamellar nano/microfibrous scaffold in a porcine model

Annulus defect is associated with reherniation and disc degeneration after discectomy; currently there is no effective treatment that addresses this problem. The annulus is a hierarchical lamellar structure, where each lamella consists of aligned collagen fibres, which are parallel and tilted at 30 degrees to the spinal axis. In this study, a biomimetic biodegradable scaffold consisting of multilamellar nano/microfibres, sharing nanotopography and microporosity similar to the native lamellar structure, was assessed in a porcine model, aided by sealing with fascia and medical glue and subsequent suture fixation. After 6- and 12-week observation, we found that this treatment restored nucleus volume and slowed down disc degeneration, as indicated by magnetic resonance imaging of T1/T2-weighted, T2-mapping, T1-rho imaging. Histological analysis showed aligned collagen fibres organized in the scaffold and integrated with surrounding native annulus tissue. The autologous bone marrow concentrate-seeded scaffolds showed slightly earlier collagen fibre formation at 6 weeks. This novel treatment could efficiently close the annulus defect with newly formed, organized and integrated collagen fibres in a porcine model. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.