Photosensitive and extracellular matrix-mimicking hydrogels promote the tendon-bone healing in rotator cuff injury

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

The healing of the tendon-bone interface remains a significant challenge due to the lack of suitable bioactive materials for promoting interface regeneration. To address this, we developed a photosensitive hydrogel system designed to mimic the extracellular matrix. This system is based on light-induced imine crosslinking between type I collagen (Col I) and o-nitrobenzyl alcohol (NB)-modified hyaluronic acid (HANB). Experimental results demonstrate that the hydrogel (Col I-HANB) exhibits excellent controllability, low swelling rate, biodegradability, and tissue-adhesive properties. Using a fluorescent dye (8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid trisodium salt, HPTS) as a model molecule, we confirmed that the hydrogel enables localized and sustained release, high-lighting its potential as a drug-delivery platform for tissue engineering. To further enhance tendon-bone interface repair, the hydrogel was functionalized with two key components: (I) The E7 peptide, known for its stem cell-homing properties, was covalently immobilized into the hydrogel network via conjugation to bovine serum albumin (BSA) and followed by imine-ligation between UV-triggered aldehyde generation from HANB and BSA's amino groups; and (II) Kartogenin (KGN)-loaded nanoparticles (KGN-NPs) were incorporated to potentially promote chondrogenic differentiation, with release assays confirming sustained KGN delive

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

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