A Mesoporous Silica‐Loaded Multi‐Functional Hydrogel Enhanced Tendon Healing via Immunomodulatory and Pro‐Regenerative Effects

• Published in: Advanced healthcare materials 2024-10, Vol.13 (26), p.e2400968-n/a
• Main Authors: Wan, Renwen, Luo, Zhiwen, Nie, Xiaoshuang, Feng, Xinting, He, Yanwei, Li, Fangqi, Liu, Shan, Chen, Wenbo, Qi, Beijie, Qin, Haocheng, Luo, Wei, Zhang, Hanli, Jiang, Hongyi, Sun, Junming, Liu, Xuanyong, Wang, Qing, Shang, Xiliang, Qiu, Jiajun, Chen, Shiyi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Achilles tendon; Achilles Tendon - drug effects; Achilles Tendon - injuries; Achilles Tendon - pathology; Animals; Biocompatibility; Biomaterials; Biomechanics; Biomedical materials; Cell differentiation; Cell Differentiation - drug effects; Cell proliferation; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Chitosan; Chitosan - chemistry; Healing; hydrogel; Hydrogels; Hydrogels - chemistry; Hydrogels - pharmacology; Immunomodulation; inflammation; Injuries; Injury analysis; Injury prevention; Macrophages; Male; Mechanical properties; mesoporous silica; Mice; Nanoparticles; Nanoparticles - chemistry; Orthopedics; Porosity; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Recovery of function; regeneration; Regeneration - drug effects; Self-assembly; Silicon dioxide; Silicon Dioxide - chemistry; Stem cells; tendon healing; Tendon Injuries - drug therapy; Tendon Injuries - pathology; Tendon Injuries - therapy; Tendons; Tissue engineering; Tissue Engineering - methods; Tissue Scaffolds - chemistry; Wound healing; Wound Healing - drug effects
• ISSN: 2192-2640; 2192-2659; 2192-2659
• DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202400968

Tendon injuries are pervasive orthopedic injuries encountered by the general population. Nonetheless, recovery after severe injuries, such as Achilles tendon injury, is limited. Consequently, there is a pressing need to devise interventions, including biomaterials, that foster tendon healing. Regrettably, tissue engineering treatments have faced obstacles in crafting appropriate tissue scaffolds and efficacious nanomedical approaches. To surmount these hurdles, an innovative injectable hydrogel (CP@SiO2), comprising puerarin and chitosan through in situ self‐assembly, is pioneered while concurrently delivering mesoporous silica nanoparticles for tendon healing. In this research, CP@SiO2 hydrogel is employed for the treatment of Achilles tendon injuries, conducting extensive in vivo and in vitro experiments to evaluate its efficacy. This reults demonstrates that CP@SiO2 hydrogel enhances the proliferation and differentiation of tendon‐derived stem cells, and mitigates inflammation through the modulation of macrophage polarization. Furthermore, using histological and behavioral analyses, it is found that CP@SiO2 hydrogel can improve the histological and biomechanical properties of injured tendons. This findings indicate that this multifaceted injectable CP@SiO2 hydrogel constitutes a suitable bioactive material for tendon repair and presents a promising new strategy for the clinical management of tendon injuries. This study introduces an injectable CP@SiO2 hydrogel, combining puerarin and chitosan with mesoporous silica nanoparticles, for Achilles tendon repair. Extensive in vivo and in vitro analyses demonstrate its efficacy in enhancing stem cell proliferation and differentiation, modulating immune responses, and significantly improving tendon healing and functional recovery. This hydrogel presents a novel approach to tendon injury treatment.