Current clinical treatments for intervertebral disc (IVD) herniation (e.g., discectomy) often lead to re-herniation, and tissue engineering scaffolds for annulus fibrosus (AF) regeneration remain scarce, particularly those capable of mimicking the multilayered structure of native AF. This study combines electrospinning with gas-foaming technology to fabricate a 3D nanofiber scaffold (3DS) with a hierarchical multilayered structure. Subsequently, fibronectin is employed as a "bridge" to immobilize basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) onto 3DS through its inherent gelatin and heparin binding domains, ultimately constructing a 3D bioactive AF scaffold (3DFF). In vitro experiments demonstrate that the 3DFF mimicks the multilayered structure of native AF. Through sustained bFGF release, it enhances extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation and activates the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway, thereby promoting cell proliferation, migration, and matrix secretion. In vivo experiments using a rat tail AF defect model show that 3DFF mitigates IVD degeneration and facilitates AF regeneration. In summary, this study develops a bioactive biomimetic multilayered annulus fibrosus scaffold, offering a promising strategy for annulus fibrosus repair following discectomy.
基金:
National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.
32200591), Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (25ZR1401323, 22Y11912000), Research Fund of Shanghai Key Laboratory of Flexible Medical Robotics (SKLFMR-0205), Medical and Industrial
Cross Research Foundation of “Star of Jiaotong University” Program of
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China (Grant No. YG2022ZD030), Laboratory Open Fund of Key Technology and Materials in Minimally Invasive
Spine Surgery (2024JZWC-YBA01, 2024JZWC-ZDB01), Tongren Hospital
Introduces the Talented Person Scientific Research Start Funds Subsidization Project (TR2023rc08), Tongren Talent (TRKYRC-yc202201).