A novel nano-silver coated and hydrogel-impregnated polyurethane nanofibrous mesh for ventral hernia repair

Clinically, patches for hernia repair have two existing concerns: antibacterial and tissue adhesion. The modification of medical device surfaces with antibacterial properties has recently shown to be an effective means to control bacterial-caused infection. On the other hand, hydrogel of gelatin and polyethylene glycol (PEG) has been verified for reducing tissue adhesion. Herein, we report a novel muscle-inspired and nano-silver coated, polyethyleneglycol (PEG)/gelatin hydrogel-impregnated polyurethane (NSPU) mesh. We hypothesize that an outside coated nano-silver is antiseptic to inflammations and infection. The PEG and gelatin hydrogel can remarkably reduce the postoperative adhesion in the abdomen; moreover, the flexible nanofibrous PU provides the necessary mechanical support as well. The composite mesh exhibited good antibacterial property in vitro . In vivo , after the implantation, it significantly reduced the postoperative adhesion in the abdomen compared to commercial polypropylene (PP) meshes. The composite also shows the graft accommodation in the abdominal wall tissue from hematoxylin–eosin (H&E) staining and immunohistochemistry analysis of CD3 (lymphocyte), CCR7 (M1 phenotype macrophage) and CD163 (M2 phenotype macrophage). Therefore, our NSPU mesh is promising for ventral hernia repair.