Electrospun DegraPol® Meshes with Incorporated Bakuchiol: Characterization and Tissue Integration In Ovo—A Pilot Study

Background: Surgical tendon rupture repair suffers from scar formation, leading to tendons with inferior mechanics and consequently to re-ruptures, as well as from adhesion formation to the surrounding tissue, reducing the range of motion. In an approach of re-purposing the phytochemical Bakuchiol to be incorporated in the polymer DegraPol® (DP), we fabricated a novel implant material by emulsion electrospinning. Methods: To characterize the emulsion electrospun novel materials, we used Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to determine the fiber diameter and pore size. In addition, we used Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Finally, we planted the materials onto the chorioallantoic membrane of the chicken embryo (CAM assay) to assess tissue integration and collagen expression. Results: While the pure DP meshes were very well integrated in the CAM assay and showed a significantly higher collagen deposition within the scaffold, the DP + Bakuchiol meshes exhibited poor tissue integration, showing rather the beginning of a fibrous encapsulation. Conclusions: The novel electrospun material DP + Bakuchiol could be used as an anti-adhesion barrier to prevent tendon adhesion.