Non-invasive medical nanofiber technology, characterized by its high specific surface area, biocompatibility, and porosity, holds significant potential in various medical domains, including tissue repair and biosensing. It is increasingly becoming central to healthcare by offering safer and more efficient treatment options for contemporary medicine. Numerous studies have explored non-invasive medical nanofibers in recent years, yet a comprehensive overview of the field remains lacking. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive summary of the applications of electrospun nanofibers in non-invasive medical fields, considering multiple aspects and perspectives. Initially, we introduce electrospinning nanofibers. Subsequently, we detail their applications in non-invasive health, including health monitoring, personal protection, thermal regulation, and wound care, highlighting their critical role in improving human health. Lastly, this paper discusses the current challenges associated with electrospun nanofibers and offers insights into potential future development trajectories.
Achilles tendon is a motor organ that is prone to tissue adhesion during its repair process after rupture. Therefore, developing motion-responsive and anti-adhesive biomaterials is an important need for the repair of Achilles tendon rupture. Here, we report an injectable lubricative hydrogel (ILH) based on hydration lubrication mechanism, which is also motion-responsive based on sol-gel reversible transmission. The lubrication performance is achieved by zwitterionic polymers as we previously proved, and the sol-gel reversible transmission is enabled by dynamic disulfide bonds. Firstly, ILH was proved to be successfully prepared and lubricated as well as sol-gel reversible via FTIR characterization, rheological measurement and tribological tests. Then, in vitro cell experiments and coagulation tests demonstrated the optimal cytocompatibility and hemocompatibility of ILH. To evaluate the potential of ILH's biofunction in vivo, SD rats' Achilles tendon rupture & repair model was established. The animal experiments' results showed that ILH significantly prevented tendon adhesion and thus promote tendon healing by inhibiting TGFβ1-Smad2/3 pathway. We believe this work will open a new horizon for tendon adhesion-free repair.
Background: Postoperative abdominal adhesion is a prevalent complication following abdominal surgery, with the incidence of adhesion reaching up to 90%, which may precipitate a range of adverse outcomes. Although fibrous membranes loaded with various anti-inflammatory or other drugs have been proposed for anti-adhesion, most of them suffer from drug-induced adverse effects. Methods: In this study, a lecithin-based electrospun polylactic acid (PLA) nanofibrous membrane (L/P-NM) was developed for the prevention of postoperative abdominal adhesion, utilizing the hydration lubrication theory. The loaded zwitterionic lecithin allows the nanofiber surface to strongly bind water molecules to create a hydration lubrication interface. Results: As the TGA results show, the content of bound water in the nanofibers increased significantly with the increase in the lecithin content. Tribological test results show that L/P-NM reached a minimum coefficient of friction (COF) of about 0.112. Additionally, the developed nanofibrous membranes possess favorable tensile property and biocompatibility. Rat postoperative abdominal adhesion model evaluation results demonstrated that L/P-NM possesses significant anti-adhesive performance, with an adhesion score of only 1. Conclusions: Therefore, this study offers a promising strategy for efficiently preventing abdominal adhesion.