Sustained Release of Dicumarol via Novel Grafted Polymer in Electrospun Nanofiber Membrane for Treatment of Peritendinous Adhesion

Abstract

AbstractThe prevention and treatment of post‐traumatic peritendinous adhesion (PA) have always been a great difficulty for orthopedic surgeons. Current treatments include resecting surgery, non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) usage and implantable membranes, often target single disease pathogenic processes, resulting in unfavorable therapeutic outcomes. Here a polylactic acid (PLA)‐dicumarol conjugates‐electrospun nanofiber membrane (ENM) (PCD) is generated, which can achieve spatial accuracy and temporal sustainability in drug release. It is further demonstrated that PCD possesses a significantly higher and more sustainable drug release profile than traditional drug‐loading ENM. By providing a physical barrier and continuous releasing of dicumarol, PCD implantation significantly reduces tissue adhesion by 25%, decreases fibroblasts activity and inhibits key fibrogenic cytokine transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) production by 30%, and improves the biomechanical tendon property by 14.69%. Mechanistically, PCD potently inhibits the connexin43 (Cx43) and thereby tunes down the fibroblastic TGFβ/Smad3 signaling pathway. Thus, this approach leverages the anti‐adhesion effect of dicumarol and drug release properties of grafted copolymer ENM by esters to provide a promising therapeutic strategy for patients who suffer from PA.