Chitin nanocrystal-reinforced chitin/collagen composite hydrogels for annulus fibrosus repair after discectomy.

ABSTRACT: Discectomy is a widely utilized approach for alleviating disc herniation; however, effective repair of postoperative annulus fibrosus (AF) defects remains a significant challenge. This study introduces a hydrogel patch with enhanced mechanical properties for AF repair fabricated using chitin (Ch), collagen (Col), and chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs) through a freeze-thaw cycling technique. The Ch and Col components constitute the matrix of the hydrogel patch, while uniformly dispersed ChNCs act as a nanofiller, markedly improving the mechanical performance (compression strain: 95 %; compression modulus: 0.27 MPa) of the resulting Ch/Col@ChNCs hydrogel patch. The patch demonstrates advantageous properties, including high porosity, superior water absorption, thermal stability, and biodegradabilit

SUBMITTER: Liu M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11869017 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature