Transporting Hydrogel via Chinese Acupuncture Needles for Lesion Positioning Therapy

Abstract

Lesion positioning therapy optimizes medical treatment by directly targeting lesions. However, strong physical barriers greatly hinder its wide use. Here, the Chinese acupuncture needles (CA‐needles) with a screw‐thread structure at the tip (ST‐needle) and the hydrogel with the function of adhesive metal and loaded drug sustained‐release structure are designed, through the minimally invasive and precise positioning of lesions by ST‐needles, the dry‐wet conversion of hydrogel with absorbing fluids and swelling, and the rotation back of ST‐needles, the hydrogel is precisely positioned in the subchondral bone with physical barrier to achieve precise positioning therapy for lesions. In vitro experiments show that the ST‐needle penetrates the physical barrier of cartilage and enters the subchondral bone. Simultaneously, the hydrogel transfer efficiency of the ST‐needle (73.25%) is significantly higher than that of the CA‐needle (29.92%) due to the protective effect of the screw‐thread structure. In vivo experiments demonstrate that precise positioning in subchondral bone in osteoarthritis rats with ST‐needles effectively inhibits abnormal subchondral bone remodeling, alleviating the degeneration and degradation of cartilage. Therefore, ST‐needles achieve lesion positioning therapy through minimally invasive penetration of physical barriers, precisely positioning within lesions, and delivering hydrogel to release drugs.

Injectable, self-healing, transparent, and antibacterial hydrogels based on chitosan and dextran for wound dressings

“…Studies proved that Baicalein, as a flavonoid drug, possesses effective antioxidant property [28,65]. In Fig.…”

“…Baicalein, the main bioactive flavone of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, has been proven that possesses excellent antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative properties [28,65].…”

Research progress in decellularized extracellular matrix hydrogels for intervertebral disc degeneration

“…Therefore, the way in which hydrogels can be safely and effectively delivered into IVDs is a challenge. Lin et al 184 punctured the articular cartilage with a special Chinese acupuncture needle to deliver the hydrogel to the lesion, and the micropores left by the acupuncture needle promoted the migration of stem cells. This study revealed that we can deliver the hydrogel into the IVD by penetrating the cartilage endplate through the vertebral body or pedicle with a special needle, and at the same time, the hole generated by the needle would promote the migration of BMSCs in the vertebrae of the IVD, which may be a direction for our future research.…”

Photopolymerized 3D Printing Scaffolds with Pt(IV) Prodrug Initiator for Postsurgical Tumor Treatment

“…In addition, inevitably intraoperative loss of healthy tissues in the tumor resection area is difficult to self-heal, which seriously affects the appearance, function, and life quality of patients [12,13]. To overcome these limitations, implant scaffold-based drug delivery systems, including films, hydrogels, and fibers, have been employed for improving chemotherapy efficacy, reducing toxicity and side effect, and repairing the healthy tissues [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. Unfortunately, the postoperative chemotherapy and repair processes are hardly realized synchronously, which are commonly carried out in a separate way, resulting in low efficiency and cost.…”