posted on 2024-01-29, 09:05authored byYerim Song, Goeun Choe, Soo Hyun Kwon, Jin Yoo, Jonghoon Choi, Soung-Yon Kim, Youngmee Jung
Rotator cuff tears are currently treated with drugs (steroids
and
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and surgery. However, the damaged
rotator cuff requires a considerable amount of time to regenerate,
and the regenerated tissue cannot restore the same level of function
as that before the damage. Although growth factors can accelerate
regeneration, they are difficult to be used alone because of the risk
of degradation and the difficulties in ensuring their sustained release.
Thus, hydrogels such as gelatin are used, together with growth factors.
Gelatin is a biocompatible and biodegradable hydrogel derived from
collagen; therefore, it closely resembles the components of native
tissues and can retain water and release drugs continuously, while
also showing easily tunable mechanical properties by simple modifications.
Moreover, gelatin is a natural biopolymer that possesses the ability
to form hydrogels of varying compositions, thereby facilitating effective
cross-linking. Therefore, gelatin can be considered to be suitable
for rotator-to-tendon healing. In this study, we designed photo-cross-linkable
gelatin hydrogels to enhance spacing and adhesive effects for rotator
cuff repair. We mixed a ruthenium complex (Ru(II)bpy32+) and sodium persulfate into gelatin-based hydrogels and
exposed them to blue light to induce gelation. Basic fibroblast growth
factor and bone morphogenetic protein-12 were encapsulated in the
gelatin hydrogel for localized and sustained release into the wound,
thereby enhancing the cell proliferation. The effects of these dual
growth factor-loaded hydrogels on cell cytotoxicity and tendon regeneration
in rotator cuff tear models were evaluated using mechanical and histological
assessments. The findings confirmed that the gelatin hydrogel was
biocompatible and that treatment with the dual growth factor-loaded
hydrogels in in vivo rotator cuff tear models promoted regeneration
and functional restoration in comparison with the findings in the
nontreated group. Therefore, growth factor-loaded gelatin-based hydrogels
may be suitable for the treatment of rotator cuff tears.