Highly stretchable polyester-based piezoelectric elastomer for simultaneously realization of accelerated regeneration and motion monitoring for Achilles tendon rupture

Zilu GE, Yanxiu QIAO, Weiwei ZHU, Yutao XU, Qian FANG, Dong WANG, Yunfeng TANG, Renliang ZHAO, Xiangtian DENG, Wei LIN*, Guanglin WANG*, Yong XIANG, Xiaoran HU

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal PublicationsJournal Article (refereed)peer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Accelerated regeneration and motion sensing for Achilles tendon rupture is technological bottleneck that has long troubled both patients and doctors. Compared to traditional treatment, efficient and in-situ electrical stimulation by using piezoelectric materials for Achilles tendon repair is of great potential. However, the reciprocating stretching-recovery motion of the Achilles tendon during the repair process set great challenges for developing materials with integration of high piezoelectricity, stretchability, and biocompatibility to realize simultaneously accelerated repair and real-time motion sensing. In the current study, we synthesized a piezoelectric elastomer for tendon rupture regeneration (PETRR). The PETRR presents an elastic modulus as low as 0.3 MPa and a recoverable strain up to 300 %. These properties enabled PETRR to undergo long-term reciprocating motion accompanying with the Achilles tendon, realizing real-time sensing of tendon rerupture and local temperature changes. The PETRR exhibit good biocompatibility and excellent piezoelectricity to achieve electric stimulations promoting tendon regeneration in a rat Achilles acute injury model, where the behavior function and biomechanical properties were significantly improved comparing to control group. Furthermore, the potential mechanism of PETRR promoting tendon regeneration was investigated by RNA-sequencing, identifying a series of potential targets and signaling pathway for further research. This study indicates that PETRR can effectively monitor tendon condition in real-time and promote tendon regeneration.

Original languageEnglish
Article number108751
Number of pages13
JournalNano Energy
Volume115
Early online date2 Aug 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2023
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier Ltd

Funding

This study was supported by Medico-Engineering Cooperation Funds from University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (No. ZYGX2021YGLH026), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2023M732467 , 2023TQ0224), Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan (No. 2023NSFSC1835) and Post-Doctor Research Project (No. 2023HXBH106), West China Hospital, Sichuan. University, China.

Keywords

  • Accelerated regeneration
  • Achilles tendon rupture
  • Motion sensing
  • RNA-sequencing

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