Chiral Arginine Modified Electrospun Membrane for Enhancing Tendon Healing

Abstract Tendon injury is a common motor system disease, impairing joint mobility, and lowering quality of life. Once damaged, tendon has a limited capacity for regeneration. Clinically, available therapeutic strategies have not achieved satisfactory outcomes. Chiral biomaterials can effectively regulate cell behaviors and tissue healing, but have not been applied to injured tendon yet. Here, chiral arginine is attached to electrospun membrane to fabricate chiral scaffolds. L‐chiral scaffold, rather than D‐chiral or R‐chiral scaffold, promotes cell adhesion, proliferation, and tenogenic differentiation. The vinculin/FAK/YAP pathway is discovered to have a significant impact on the processes mentioned above. Additionally, L‐arginine efficiently eliminates reactive oxygen species (ROS) and generates nitric oxide (NO), safeguarding tendon stem/progenitor cells (TSPCs) against oxidative stress. The use of L‐chiral scaffold in a rat model of Achilles tendon injury increases the expression of markers related to tendons and the deposition of collagen. Moreover, L‐chiral scaffold improves tendon structural, functional, and mechanical properties. This L‐chiral scaffold comprehensively enhances tendon healing, providing a promising therapeutic strategy for tendon injury. As a simple and effective method, modification by chiral molecules enriches biomaterial functions and offers a novel option for tissue regeneration.