Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery
May 11, 2026 · via Europe PMC
An icariin-loaded Polycaprolactone (PCL) electrospun scaffold for enhanced tendon-bone healing in rotator cuff repair.
Zhu Q, Zhai H, Cheng B, Huang J, Mao H, Bai Z.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
An icariin-loaded PCL electrospun scaffold improved tendon-bone healing markers in a rat rotator cuff injury model and showed no evident systemic toxicity.
What was studied
Preclinical study: ICA-PCL scaffolds were made by electrospinning and characterized, tested in vitro on LPS-induced rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and brain microvascular endothelial cells, then implanted in a rat rotator cuff injury model and assessed at 4 and 8 weeks.
Key findings
- The scaffold showed biphasic release, an initial burst followed by sustained icariin delivery
- In vitro it enhanced stem cell proliferation, reduced apoptosis, oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α), and promoted endothelial tube formation
- In vivo it shifted macrophages toward the M2 phenotype, increased angiogenesis markers (CD31/EMCN) and supported fibrocartilaginous interface regeneration with elevated collagen I/II expression
- No evident systemic toxicity or organ damage was observed
Clinical relevance
This is early translational work that suggests a drug-eluting scaffold might one day augment rotator cuff repair, but it has no direct bearing on current patient care.
Who should care
Limitations
Animal and cell-culture study only; the abstract gives no numeric effect sizes or biomechanical strength data, and rat results may not translate to humans or to chronic, degenerative human tears.
Promising preclinical signal for immunomodulatory, pro-angiogenic scaffolds in tendon-bone healing, requiring larger-animal and human testing.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Background
This study aimed to fabricate an icariin (ICA)-loaded polycaprolactone (PCL) electrospun scaffold and systematically evaluate its effects on tendon-bone healing in a rat rotator cuff injury model, with particular focus on its immunomodulatory, angiogenic, and fibrocartilaginous regeneration capabilities.
Methods
ICA-PCL scaffolds were prepared using electrospinning technology and characterized for microstructure, drug release kinetics, and cytocompatibility. In vitro experiments involved lipopolysaccharide-induced rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and brain microvascular endothelial cells to assess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and proangiogenic effects. In vivo evaluations were conducted in a rat rotator cuff injury model using histological staining, immunofluorescence, western blot, and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay to analyze tissue regeneration, macrophage polarization, and safety profiles at 4 and 8 weeks postimplantation.
Results
The ICA-PCL scaffold displayed a biphasic release pattern with initial burst release followed by sustained ICA delivery. In vitro, it significantly enhanced rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell proliferation, reduced apoptosis and oxidative stress, downregulated pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α), and promoted endothelial tube formation. In vivo results demonstrated that the scaffold modulated macrophage polarization toward M2 phenotype, enhanced angiogenesis (increased CD31/EMCN expression), and facilitated fibrocartilaginous interface regeneration with organized collagen architecture and elevated collagen I/II expression. No evident systemic toxicity or organ damage was observed.
Conclusion
The ICA-PCL electrospun scaffold effectively promotes tendon-bone healing through multimechanistic actions, including immunomodulation, angiogenesis promotion, and structured interface regeneration, demonstrating significant potential as a comprehensive therapeutic strategy for rotator cuff repair.
DOI
10.1016/j.jse.2026.04.046
PMID
42119938
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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