Construction of a Curcumin-Loaded PLLA/PCL Micro-Nano Conjugated Fibrous Membrane to Synergistically Prevent Postoperative Adhesion From Multiple Perspectives

Postoperative adhesion (POA) has emerged as a prevalent clinical challenge in soft tissue repair, emphasizing the critical need for preventive measures. However, the complex POA development process makes POA prevention from a single aspect insufficient. Hence, a curcumin-loaded poly-L-lactic acid-poly (caprolactone) micro-nano conjugated fibrous membrane (PAPC MCFM (cur)) is engineered to synergistically prevent POA from multiple perspectives, in which poly (caprolactone) (PCL) nanofibers (118 ± 12 nm) with low orientation traverse the oriented poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) microfibers (2.0 ± 0.3 µm). The PAPC MCFM not only significantly improves the mechanical properties of the anisotropic fibrous membrane (AIFM) that the modulus of elasticity and the tensile strength in the direction vertical to microfiber orientation increase by 4.5 and 13.0 times, respectively, but also can further enhance the “contact guidance effect” of AIFM, i.e., hindering fibroblast adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation to myofibroblast through inhibiting integrin β1 activation, vinculin expression and focal adhesion (FA) formation, and the nuclear localization activation of yes-associated protein (YAP). Except for these effects, PAPC MCFM loading with 2.5 mg mL⁻¹ curcumin can further prevent POA by delivering anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties, and by suppressing fibrosis through decreased transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1) expression, showing effective POA prevention in rat abdominal cavity and rabbit dura mater models.