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Suitable hydrogel materials for cartilage tissue repair should exhibit high strength and toughness, and excellent biocompatibility. However, the mechanical properties of most hydrogels cannot meet the complex mechanical requirements of articular cartilage tissues. Given this situation, we have adopted a chemical cross-linking method using hexafluoro isopropanol to mediate the cross-linking of Silk Fibroin (SF) and deionized water (DI), which promoted the formation of β-sheets, generating “high-toughness” Silk Fibroin hydrogels. The introduction of Gelatin (Gel) served to increase the content of β-sheets and increase the tensile modulus from 24.51 ± 2.07 MPa to 39.75 ± 6.54 MPa, which significantly enhanced the flexibility of the hydrogel and meets the mechanical requirements of cartilage tissue. In addition, in vitro biological experiments have shown that the introduction of Gel promotes cell proliferation and enhances the production of cartilage extracellular matrix by chondrocytes. In vivo experiments have demonstrated that SF/Gel hydrogel promotes articular cartilage regeneration more effectively than SF hydrogel, as evidenced by improvements in gross appearance, imaging, and histology. This study has established that high-strength SF/Gel hydrogel prepared by applying the binary-solvent-induced conformation transition strategy has potential applications in cartilage tissue repair and regeneration and is a feasible biomaterial for osteochondral regeneration.

Objective: Electrospun nanofibers exhibit potential as scaffolds for articular cartilage tissue regeneration. This study aimed to fabricate electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL)/silk fibroin (SF) composite nanofiber scaffolds and to explore performance of the scaffolds for articular chondrocyte regeneration.Methods: By altering material composition and preparation methods, three types of nanofiber scaffolds were effectively fabricated, including randomly oriented PCL (RPCL) nanofiber scaffold, randomly oriented PCL/SF (RPCL/SF) nanofiber scaffold, and aligned PCL/SF (APCL/SF) nanofiber scaffold. Physiochemical analyses were performed to determine mechanical properties and surface hydrophilicity of the nanofiber scaffolds. In vitro studies were conducted to investigate performance of the scaffolds on articular chondrocyte proliferation, gene expression and glycosaminoglycan secretion. Cytoskeleton staining was used to observe the arrangement of chondrocytes along the direction of the fibers and their elongation along the fiber arrangement.Results: The physicochemical analysis demonstrated that the APCL/SF nanofiber scaffold exhibited improved mechanical properties and surface hydrophilicity compared to the RPCL and RPCL/SF nanofiber scaffolds. Furthermore, the in vitro cell culture studies confirmed that the APCL/SF nanofibers could significantly promote articular chondrocyte proliferation, type II collagen (COL-II) gene expression, and glycosaminoglycan secretion compared to the RPCL and RPCL/SF nanofiber scaffolds. Additionally, cytoskeletal staining displayed that the APCL/SF nanofiber scaffold promoted the elongation of articular chondrocytes in the direction of parallel fiber alignment.Conclusion: The APCL/SF nanofiber scaffold exhibited promising potential as a composite scaffold for articular cartilage regeneration.

Objective: Electrospun nanofibers exhibit potential as scaffolds for articular cartilage tissue regeneration. This study aimed to fabricate electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL)/silk fibroin (SF) composite nanofiber scaffolds and to explore performance of the scaffolds for articular chondrocyte regeneration. Methods: By altering material composition and preparation methods, three types of nanofiber scaffolds were effectively fabricated, including randomly oriented PCL (RPCL) nanofiber scaffold, randomly oriented PCL/SF (RPCL/SF) nanofiber scaffold, and aligned PCL/SF (APCL/SF) nanofiber scaffold. Physiochemical analyses were performed to determine mechanical properties and surface hydrophilicity of the nanofiber scaffolds. In vitro studies were conducted to investigate performance of the scaffolds on articular chondrocyte proliferation, gene expression and glycosaminoglycan secretion. Cytoskeleton staining was used to observe the arrangement of chondrocytes along the direction of the fibers and their elongation along the fiber arrangement. Results: The physicochemical analysis demonstrated that the APCL/SF nanofiber scaffold exhibited improved mechanical properties and surface hydrophilicity compared to the RPCL and RPCL/SF nanofiber scaffolds. Furthermore, the in vitro cell culture studies confirmed that the APCL/SF nanofibers could significantly promote articular chondrocyte proliferation, type II collagen (COL-II) gene expression, and glycosaminoglycan secretion compared to the RPCL and RPCL/SF nanofiber scaffolds. Additionally, cytoskeletal staining displayed that the APCL/SF nanofiber scaffold promoted the elongation of articular chondrocytes in the direction of parallel fiber alignment. Conclusion: The APCL/SF nanofiber scaffold exhibited promising potential as a composite scaffold for articular cartilage regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]