Calcium peroxide-loaded ovalbumin scaffolds with sustained oxygen release capacity for regulating the growth behavior of nerve cells and endothelial cell.

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is often accompanied by vascular network damage, causing transient hypoxia in the peripheral nerve microenvironment, and leading to severe functional impairment or loss of motor and sensory functions. Thus, constructing nerve graft conduits (NGCs) with oxygen-releasing function is expected to improve the hypoxic microenvironment, promote angiogenesis and repair of injured nerves. In this study, an ovalbumin (OVA) oxygen-releasing electrospun scaffold was constructed by incorporating calcium peroxide (CPO) nanoparticles into OVA solution via electrospinning. The results showed that the addition of CPO nanoparticles improved the wettability of the scaffolds, while did not affect the mechanical properties of the scaffolds. The scaffolds showed good oxygen release capacity and could achieve continuous oxygen release for fifteen days in vitro. Biological evaluation showed that the scaffolds had no cytotoxicity and could promote the proliferation of RSC96 cells and endothelial cells (ECs), significantly up-regulate the expression of YAP and EGR2 in RSC96, down-regulate the expression of HIF-α, and up-regulate the expression of VEGF and Cntn2 in ECs. Further on, the scaffold was also proven to effectively promote axon extension of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in vitro, with CPO concentration-dependent. Thus, the oxygen-releasing OVA scaffold here shows promising for promoting nerve repair, providing an experimental and theoretical basis for the treatment of PNI.