Recently, the research team led by Professor Fan Yubo, Professor Li Xiaoming, and Associate Professor Li Linhao from Beihang University has published an article, titled “Janus decellularized membrane with anisotropic cell guidance and anti-adhesion silk-based coatings for spinal dural repair,” in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, reporting new achievements in the field of spinal dural repair materials.
Professor Fan Yubo, Professor Li Xiaoming, and Associate Professor Li Linhao are the co-corresponding authors of the paper. The co-first authors are Bi Xuewei, a Ph.D. student from the School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering (currently a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Materials Science and Engineering of Peking University), and Mao Zhinan, a Ph.D. student from the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Beihang University (currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Chinese University of Hong Kong). Beihang University is the first affiliation for the research.
The spinal dura mater assumes a crucial role in protecting the spinal cord, preventing cerebrospinal fluid leakage and epidural adhesions. In spinal surgery and neurosurgery, spinal dura mater defect leading to cerebrospinal fluid leakage is a common postoperative complication, with an incidence rate of 4%–32% depending on the type of surgery. To date, few materials are developed for spinal dural repair. It is imperative to develop biomimetic Janus material to promote structural regeneration of the spinal dura mater and prevent epidural fibrosis, which is important for the functional restoration of the spinal dura mater.
In the study, the authors construct the Janus small intestinal submucosa (SIS) via silk-based hydrogel coatings, which provides extracellular matrix-mimicking features and anti-adhesion performance for spinal dural defect repair (Fig.1). They demonstrate that the silk fibroin and methacrylated silk fibroin (SilMA) composite microgroove hydrogel coating at the inner surface via water vapor annealing treatment exhibits excellent structure stability, stable attachment to SIS substrate, and shows orientated cell morphology and extracellular matrix produced by fibroblasts, good histocompatibility and promotes the polarization of macrophages towards the anti-inflammatory phenotype (Fig.2). The methacrylated hyaluronic acid and SilMA composite coating outer surface serves as favorable physical barrier shows effective resistance to protein adsorption, cell and tissue adhesion, and can mitigate fibrosis reactions. Spinal dura mater defect experiments on male rats demonstrate that the Janus SIS simultaneously promotes dural regeneration and inhibits epidural fibrosis.
Fig.1: Design and fabrication of Janus SIS membrane for spinal dura mater regeneration
Fig.2: Water vapor annealing enhanced the mechanical properties and structural stability of the SFMA microgroove coating
This study not only proposes a new solution for functional restoration of the spinal dura mater but also offers innovative insights into the development of Janus materials with bio-inspired structures and functions. The findings have potential applications in various soft tissue repair fields, providing safer and more effective options for clinical treatment.
The work receives support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Beijing Natural Science Foundation, the Hebei Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China, etc.
Link to the original article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56872-0
(Approved by: Hong Guanxin, Zhang Wei, Xu Ran)
Edited by: Yuan Xiaohui
