Flexible Sono–Piezo Patch for Functional Sweat Gland Repair through Endogenous Microenvironmental Remodeling
Wei Pi, Huating Chen, Yawei Liu, Jiangbing Xiang, Hongliang Zhang, Xinling Yang, Meiru Zhang, Jiawei Cao, Tie Chang, Yifan Zheng, Shiyi Liu, Hongjie Zhang, Han Qin, Kai Liu, Xiaobing Fu, Yue Shao, Xiaoyan Sun
Abstract
Remodeling the endogenous regenerative microenvironment in wounds is crucial for achieving scarless, functional tissue regeneration, especially the functional recovery of skin appendages such as sweat glands in burn patients. However, current approaches mostly rely on the use of exogenous materials or chemicals to stimulate cell proliferation and migration, while the remodeling of a pro-regenerative microenvironment remains challenging. Herein, we developed a flexible sono-piezo patch (fSPP) that aims to create an endogenous regenerative microenvironment to promote the repair of sweat glands in burn wounds. This patch, composed of multifunctional fibers with embedded piezoelectric nanoparticles, utilized low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) to activate electrical stimulation of the target tissue, resulting in enhanced pro-regenerative behaviors of niche tissues and cells, including peripheral nerves, fibroblasts, and vasculatures. We further demonstrated the effective wound healing and regeneration of functional sweat glands in burn injuries solely through such physical stimulation. This noninvasive and drug-free therapeutic approach holds significant potential for the clinical treatment of burn injuries.