Preclinical study demonstrates nearly complete osteochondral defect repair and antibacterial efficacy in animal models, suggesting a viable multifunctional scaffold for tissue engineering.
Osteochondral defects have become a common clinical problem. The cartilage-bone interface is complex, and regenerative biomaterials are limited. This is the first study to integrate Continuous plastic flow synthesis (CPFS) derived Zn-doped hydroxyapatite into an electrospun PVA nanofibrous membrane for osteochondral repair. Combined structural and spectroscopic analysis revealed a preserved apatite lattice after zinc integration, with a strong inorganic-polymeric interfacial interaction. The fabricated membrane exhibited smooth nanofibers with an average diameter of 272 ± 2.21 nm, in which Zn-HA was uniformly dispersed. The nanofibrous membrane exhibited considerably better antibacterial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa than Zn-HA. In vitro results confirmed good viability of osteoblasts. In vivo assessment in an osteochondral defect model revealed nearly complete defect repair after 8 weeks, with well-organized trabecular bone formation and restoration of the bone-cartilage structure without a significant inflammatory response. Collectively, these findings reveal synergistic osteoregenerative and antibacterial activity, suggesting that the nanofibrous membrane may serve as a potential material for osteochondral tissue engineering.
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Ameen et al. (2026) studied this question.
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