Mussel-inspired functionalization of electrospun scaffolds with polydopamine-assisted immobilization of mesenchymal stem cells-derived small extracellular vesicles for enhanced bone regeneration

Mesenchymal stem cells-derived small extracellular vesicles (MSCs-sEV) have shown promising prospects as a cell-free strategy for bone tissue regeneration. Here, a bioactive MSCs-sEV-loaded electrospun silk fibroin/poly (epsilon-caprolactone) (SF/PCL) scaffold was synthesized via a mussel-inspired immobilization strategy assisted by polydopamine (pDA). This pDA modification endowed the as-prepared scaffold with high loading efficiency and sustained release profile of sEV. In addition, the fabricated composite scaffold exhibited good physiochemical, mechanical, and biocompatible properties. In vitro cellular experiments indicated that the MSCs-sEV-loaded composite scaffold promoted the adhesion and spreading of preosteoblast and endothelial cells, as well as enhanced osteogenic differentiation and angiogenic activity. In vivo experiments showed that the functionalized electrospun scaffolds promoted bone regeneration in a rat calvarial bone defect model. Results suggest that the developed MSCs-sEV-anchored pDA-modified SF/PCL electrospun scaffolds possess high application potential in bone tissue engineering owing to their powerful pro-angiogenic and -osteogenic capacities, cell-free bioactivity, and cost effectiveness.