NIR-triggered photothermal drug delivery liposome carrying Wnt10b protein to improve prognosis of rotator cuff injury

Rotator cuff injury is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders that mostly occurs in the elderly population. And as the population aging, the treatment of rotator cuff injury has received widespread attention. However, traditional treatment methods have encountered two fundamental limitations: inefficient growth factor delivery and irreversible fatty infiltration. There is an urgent need to explore a new treatment method for better recovery of rotator cuff injuries. Wnt10b level is proved relevant to up-regulated tendon repairment and less adipogenesis in earlier research. Therefore, a near-infrared (NIR)-triggered liposomal system (Wnt10b-ICG-Lip) that synergistically integrates thermosensitive drug release to address the major challenges in the tissue regeneration of rotator cuff. Through using liposome composed of phospholipids and cholesterol to enhance the stability, Wnt10b protein was biologically active when delivered to injury site. For photothermal release property, ICG was selected to modify the drug-loaded liposome. Under 808 nm laser irradiation, ICG induced phase transition of lipid membrane and finally leads to controlled release of Wnt10b protein. In cellular experiments, Wnt10b-ICG-Lip showed significant effect in improving growth of mouse embryo osteoblast precursor cells (MC3T3-E1) and inhibiting adipose differentiation in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MC3T3-L1). Moreover, a partial rotator tear mouse model was created to validate its therapeutic effect. By pathological analysis, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and mechanical property tests, it was proved that Wnt10b-ICG-Lip can help tissue regeneration and prevent fatty degeneration. In conclusion, Wnt10b-ICG-Lip may be used to improve recovery and prognosis in the treatment of rotator cuff injury.