The periosteum orchestrates the microenvironment of bone regeneration, including facilitating local neuro-vascularization and regulating immune responses. To mimic the role of natural periosteum for bone repair enhancement, we adopted the principle of biomimetic mineralization to delicately inlay amorphous cerium oxide within eggshell membranes (ESMs) for the first time. Cerium from cerium oxide possesses unique ability to switch its oxidation state from cerium III to cerium IV and vice versa, which provides itself promising potential for biomedical applications. ESMs are mineralized with cerium­(III, IV) oxide and examined for their biocompatibility. Apart from serving as physical barriers, periosteum-like cerium­(III, IV) oxide-mineralized ESMs are biocompatible and can actively regulate immune responses and facilitate local neuro-vascularization along with early-stage bone regeneration in a murine cranial defect model. During the healing process, cerium-inlayed biomimetic periosteum can boost early osteoclastic differentiation of macrophage lineage cells, which may be the dominant mediator of the local repair microenvironment. The present work provides novel insights into expanding the definition and function of a biomimetic periosteum to boost early-stage bone repair and optimize long-term repair with robust neuro-vascularization. This new treatment strategy which employs multifunctional bone-and-periosteum-mimicking systems creates a highly concerted microenvironment to expedite bone regeneration.

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Tendon-bone interface is prevalent in the human body. It is divided into four zones: tendon (soft tissue), unmineralized fibrocartilage, mineralized fibrocartilage, and bone (hard tissue). Tendon-bone interface is characterized by a cell phenotype gradient that appears in the different zones. The cell phenotype gradients at the tendon-bone interface are orchestrated by specific intracellular molecular mechanisms, extracellular factors, immune signals, and neurovascular factors. These features have inspired scientists to design systems that mimic natural cell phenotype gradients. These biomimetic systems include the construction of cell sheets, regulation of cellular microenvironments, and the design of gradient functional scaffolds. Exploration of methods to mimic cell phenotype gradients is instructional for future clinical applications in reconstituting the tendon-bone interface. The present review elucidates the gradient composition of the tendon-bone interface. The associated regulatory mechanisms and applications are discussed, with the anticipation of creating a mise en scène for future research in interface tissue engineering.

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Tooth biomineralization is a dynamic and complicated process influenced by local and systemic factors. Abnormal mineralization in teeth occurs when factors related to physiologic mineralization are altered during tooth formation and after tooth maturation, resulting in microscopic and macroscopic manifestations. The present Review provides timely information on the mechanisms and structural alterations of different forms of pathological tooth mineralization. A comprehensive study of these alterations benefits diagnosis and biomimetic treatment of abnormal mineralization in patients.

A poor seal of the titanium implant–soft tissue interface provokes bacterial invasion, aggravates inflammation, and ultimately results in implant failure. To ensure the long‐term success of titanium implants, lactoferrin‐derived amyloid is coated on the titanium surface to increase the expression of cell integrins and hemidesmosomes, with the goal of promoting soft tissue seal and imparting antibacterial activity to the implants. The lactoferrin‐derived amyloid coated titanium structures contain a large number of amino and carboxyl groups on their surfaces, and promote proliferation and adhesion of epithelial cells and fibroblasts via the PI3K/AKT pathway. The amyloid coating also has a strong positive charge and possesses potent antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Porphyromonas gingivalis. In a rat immediate implantation model, the amyloid‐coated titanium implants form gingival junctional epithelium at the transmucosal region that resembles the junctional epithelium in natural teeth. This provides a strong soft tissue seal to wall off infection. Taken together, lactoferrin‐derived amyloid is a dual‐function transparent coating that promotes soft tissue seal and possesses antibacterial activity. These unique properties enable the synthesized amyloid to be used as potential biological implant coatings.

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