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Abstract
Low back pain and disc degeneration affect quality of life and imposes an enormous financial burden. Although annulus fibrosus (AF) tissue engineering provides an alternative therapeutic possibility in the treatment of degenerative intervertebral disc disease, it is restricted by the biochemical properties, organizational structure, and mechanical characteristics of the scaffold. The ideal scaffold should closely mimic the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) in structure and function for long-term stability and survival. Poly(ether carbonate urethane) urea (PECUU) can be electrospun into nanofibrous scaffolds to mimic ECM architecture with the appropriate mechanical properties. However, PECUU scaffolds lack the bioactivity of natural ECM. On the other hand, a decellularized annulus fibrosus matrix (DAFM) has good biocompatibility and biodegradability and has been shown to promote secretion of AF-related ECM. Herein, DAFM/PECUU-blended electrospun scaffolds were fabricated with the help of coaxial electrospinning technology for the first time. AF-derived stem cells were cultured on DAFM/PECUU electrospun scaffolds, and cellular metabolic activity, morphology, and gene expression assays as well as AF-related ECM synthesis were performed. The results showed that AF-derived stem cells proliferated well on the scaffolds. Gene expression and ECM secretion of collagen type I and II and aggrecan from AF-derived stem cells cultured on DAFM/PECUU electrospun scaffolds were higher than from those on PECUU fibrous scaffolds. Thus, DAFM/PECUU electrospun scaffolds are a potential candidate for AF tissue engineering applications.
Disclosure statement
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Impact statement
Recent studies have shown the integrity of annulus fibrosus (AF) structure and function is essential to maintaining intervertebral disc stability. Therefore, AF tissue engineering has attracted more attention with respect to treatment of degenerative intervertebral disc diseases. However, current research is limited due to the influence of biochemical properties, tissue structure, and mechanical properties of scaffold materials. Our previous studies have shown that AF-derived stem cells have multidirectional differentiation potential. Decellularized AF matrix (DAFM) has good biocompatibility and biodegradability, which is conducive to cell adhesion, expansion, and differentiation. In the current work, DAFM/PECUU-blended electrospun scaffolds were prepared by coaxial electrospinning. At the same time, biomimetic AF tissue was constructed by seeding scaffolds with AF stem cells to effectively apply to the repair of degenerative intervertebral discs.