Advanced Electroactive and Anti‐Inflammatory Sutures for Enhancing Tendon and Bone Regeneration to Promote Repair of Achilles Tendon Sleeve Avulsion
Abstract Achilles tendon sleeve avulsions often involve tissue defects. Standard bone tunnel fixation risks tunnel enlargement, inflammation, and graft failure. Native tendon and bone tissue exhibit inherent bioelectrical properties whose disruption impedes healing. To address these, the study developed electroactive, anti‐inflammatory sutures featuring a strong polylactic acid (PLA) micron yarn core and a conductive poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)/hydroxyethyl cellulose/glycerol/chondroitin sulfate/PLA (PEDOT/HEC/glycerol/CS/PLA) nanofibrous shell. A novel synthesis strategy enabled EDOT polymerization templated by HEC, eliminating the need for poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS), oxidants, or catalysts and allowing direct electrospinning. In vitro, it can regulate macrophage polarization and enhance tenocytes and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSCs) proliferation and differentiation. In a rabbit Achilles tendon avulsion model, the suture enables secure tendon‐to‐bone fixation via calcaneal bone tunnels. At 12 weeks post‐operation, the suture exerts anti‐inflammatory effects by modulating CD206/CD86 expression. Electroactive suture significantly enhances tendon regeneration and bone formation within the tunnels, and achieves robust tendon‐to‐bone integration at the interface, markedly improving fixation stability. In summary, this electroactive, anti‐inflammatory suture effectively promotes tendon‐bone regeneration for repairing Achilles tendon sleeve avulsions.
Authors
- Xiumei Mo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9238-6171)
- Meera Moydeen Abdulhameed (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5394-7933)
- Binbin Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8717-856X)
- Haizhong Feng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3552-6865)
- Jie Cui (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4363-8672)
- Yangfan Ding (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4057-1209)
- Chao Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8090-2017)
- Yu Han (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4148-2950)
- Jiahui Song (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9331-2139)
- Pengfei Cai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3870-341X)
- Xiao Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0936-7557)
- Liang Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8339-8592)
- Mohamed Hassan El-Newehy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4265-0701)
Institutions
- Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (CN)
- University of Freiburg (DE)
- Donghua University (CN)
- King Saud University (SA)
- Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CN)
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CN)
- First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University (CN)
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Functional Materials
- Published
- 2025-08-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202516062
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Tendon Structure and Treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.72
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- King Saud University
- First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities