Genipin-Cross-Linked Decellularized Amnion Membrane with Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Properties

The regulation of post-implantation inflammatory responses is essential for biomaterials to achieve their intended functions, with macrophages playing a pivotal role in this process. The persistence of M1 macrophages impairs the timely resolution of acute inflammation, thereby delaying tissue healing and compromising biomaterial performance. The decellularized amnion membrane (DAM) exhibits notable anti-inflammatory properties. However, its limited mechanical strength and poor degradation resistance restrict its clinical applications. This study employed genipin cross-linking to improve the mechanical strength and enzymatic degradation resistance of DAM, resulting in a genipin-cross-linked DAM scaffold (GED) with enhanced anti-inflammatory properties. GED demonstrated markedly enhanced mechanical strength, thermal stability, and degradation resistance, retaining its structural integrity even after 28 days of collagenase-mediated degradation in vitro. Moreover, GED exhibited the ability to scavenge excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) and suppress LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in macrophages, thereby effectively mitigating inflammation. This research provides new insights into the development of extracellular matrix-based materials and highlights GED as a promising multifunctional anti-inflammatory scaffold for tissue engineering applications.