Integrating Bioactive Graded Hydrogel with Radially Aligned Nanofibers to Dynamically Manipulate Wound Healing Process

Skin wound healing is a complex process that requires appropriate treatment and management. Using a single scaffold to dynamically manipulate angiogenesis, cell migration and proliferation, and tissue reconstruction during skin wound healing is a great challenge. We developed a hybrid scaffold platform that integrates the spatiotemporal delivery of bioactive cues with topographical cues to dynamically manipulate the wound-healing process. The scaffold comprised gelatin methacryloyl hydrogels and electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone)/gelatin nanofibers. The hydrogels had graded cross-linking densities and were loaded with two different functional bioactive peptides. The nanofibers comprised a radially aligned nanofiber array layer and a layer of random fibers. During the early stages of wound healing, the KLTWQELYQLKYKGI peptide, which mimics vascular endothelial growth factor, was released from the inner layer of the hydrogel to accelerate angiogenesis. During the later stages of wound healing, the IKVAVS peptide, which promotes cell migration, synergized with the radially aligned nanofiber membrane to promote cell migration, while the nanofiber membrane also supported further cell proliferation. In an in vivo rat skin wound-healing model, the hybrid scaffold significantly accelerated wound healing and collagen deposition, and the ratio of type I to type III collagen at the wound site resembled that of normal skin. The prepared scaffold dynamically regulated the skin tissue regeneration process in stages to achieve rapid wound repair with clinical application potential, providing a strategy for skin wound repair.