Electrospinning Equipment: Promoting tendon repair and regeneration using biomimetic fibrillation engineering that mimics native tissue structure and mechanics

Research progress of silk fibroin in tendon repair

Inspired by the fibrillation of natural spinning protein, the team of Ling Shengjie from Shanghai University of Science and Technology/Jiang Libo from Fudan University constructed a fiber artificial tendon (FAT). This bionic FAT has a highly ordered molecular and nanofibril structure, similar to soft collagen tissue, and exhibits the mechanical and fracture characteristics of tendons. The experiment used regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) extracted from degummed mulberry silk as raw material, and prepared TM-FAT with highly oriented nanofibrils (HONF) by simulating the natural spinning process of silk. In vitro cell studies and in vivo modeling showed that the highly oriented nanofibrils in TM-FAT significantly promoted the expression of tendon-related genes that are combined with the structure and function of the Achilles tendon.

Application of electrospinning equipment in silk fibroin materials

Electrospinning equipment can produce high-performance nanofibers with high specific surface area, high porosity and good biocompatibility, which are widely used in tissue engineering, drug delivery and other fields. Combining electrospinning technology with the study of silk fibroin can further improve the performance and application effect of the material:

Preparing nanofiber structures: Electrospinning can produce uniform continuous fibers with diameters ranging from nanometers to micrometers. These fibers can be used to construct reinforced structures of silk fibroin-based materials and improve their mechanical properties and stability.

Regulating fiber morphology and arrangement: By adjusting the parameters in the electrospinning process (such as spinning solution concentration, viscosity, electric field strength, etc.), the diameter and morphology of the fibers can be precisely controlled to optimize the performance of the material.

Loading bioactive substances: Electrospinning equipment can prepare nanofiber scaffolds loaded with bioactive molecules, and by controlling the release rate, the continuous action of bioactive substances in the tendon repair site can be achieved.

Combination with other technologies: Electrospinning technology can also be combined with 3D printing technology to achieve the precise construction of complex three-dimensional structures. For example, by installing an electrospinning print head and an extrusion print head at the same time, the printing process of active biological structures can be completed in a single step. This combination can provide more design freedom and higher precision for the preparation of silk fibroin-based materials, meeting the personalized customization of different tendon repair needs.

Summary and Outlook

As a multifunctional natural material, silk fibroin can be processed into nanofibers with excellent structure and performance through electrospinning technology, expanding its application in tendon repair. Future research can further explore the combination of electrospinning technology with other emerging technologies, such as nanotechnology and smart materials, to achieve more complex and sophisticated structural design and functional regulation. In addition, the electrospinning process parameters and material selection can be optimized to improve the biocompatibility, mechanical properties and functionality of nanofibers, and promote the clinical transformation and application of silk fibroin-based materials in the field of tendon repair.

Electrospinning Nanofibers Article Source:

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.3c03428