Space-Oriented Nanofibrous Scaffold with Silicon-Doped Amorphous Calcium Phosphate Nanocoating for Diabetic Wound Healing

Insufficient angiogenesis always leads to the prolonged or even nonhealing process for diabetic wounds. Hence, the stimulation of angiogenesis in the wound site is an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of diabetic wounds. In this study, we reported a spaced-oriented electrospun scaffold with silicon-doped amorphous calcium phosphate nanocoating on the surface (Si-ACP/PM). The results indicated that the Si-ACP/PM scaffold exhibited an alternately random and aligned microstructure: most of the nanofibers densely deposited in a random manner to form columnar embossments, while others loosely aligned between the embossments to construct a three-dimensional porous microstructure. Furthermore, the Si-ACP nanoparticles with the diameter of about 40 nm were well distributed on the surface of each nanofiber, and the Si ions could sustain release from the scaffold. Results revealed that the Si-ACP/PM scaffold can promote the proliferation and migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro. The in vivo study further demonstrated that the Si-ACP scaffold effectively accelerated the wound healing via the promotion of angiogenesis, collagen deposition, as well as re-epithelialization in the diabetic wound bed. Taken together, the study indicates that the spaced-oriented electrospun scaffold with silicon-doped amorphous calcium phosphate nanocoating on the surface, which could significantly stimulate the angiogenesis during the process of diabetic wound healing, shows great potential for the therapy of diabetic wounds.