Biomimetic Nanosilica–Collagen Scaffolds for In Situ Bone Regeneration: Toward a Cell‐Free, One‐Step Surgery

Abstract

Current approaches to fabrication of nSC composites for bone tissue engineering (BTE) have limited capacity to achieve uniform surface functionalization while replicating the complex architecture and bioactivity of native bone, compromising application of these nanocomposites for in situ bone regeneration. A robust biosilicification strategy is reported to impart a uniform and stable osteoinductive surface to porous collagen scaffolds. The resultant nSC composites possess a native‐bone‐like porous structure and a nanosilica coating. The osteoinductivity of the nSC scaffolds is strongly dependent on the surface roughness and silicon content in the silica coating. Notably, without the use of exogenous cells and growth factors (GFs), the nSC scaffolds induce successful repair of a critical‐sized calvarium defect in a rabbit model. It is revealed that topographic and chemical cues presented by nSC scaffolds could synergistically activate multiple signaling pathways related to mesenchymal stem cell recruitment and bone regeneration. Thus, this facile surface biosilicification approach could be valuable by enabling production of BTE scaffolds with large sizes, complex porous structures, and varied osteoinductivity. The nanosilica‐functionalized scaffolds can be implanted via a cell/GF‐free, one‐step surgery for in situ bone regeneration, thus demonstrating high potential for clinical translation in treatment of massive bone defects.

Utility of Air Bladder-Derived Nanostructured ECM for Tissue Regeneration

“…hydrogels (Solorio et al, 2015;Subramaniam et al, 2016;Murahashi et al, 2019;Wang et al, 2019). However, these materials either serve as structural support or provide cell adhesive motif during bone healing (Sarker et al, 2015;Barthes et al, 2017).…”

“…Selection of biomaterials for bone regeneration has become very diverse under the effort of biomaterials research community. Both natural and synthetic polymers have been widely used in generating various scaffolds, thin films, microsphere, and hydrogels ( Solorio et al, 2015 ; Subramaniam et al, 2016 ; Murahashi et al, 2019 ; Wang et al, 2019 ). However, these materials either serve as structural support or provide cell adhesive motif during bone healing ( Sarker et al, 2015 ; Barthes et al, 2017 ).…”

Progressive 3D Printing Technology and Its Application in Medical Materials

“…Reproduced, with permission, from (Xu et al, 2016;Wei et al, 2017;Nie et al, 2019). strength and initial stability, poor bone ingrowth and long-term stability, and low cost-efficiency (Wang et al, 2019). All these problems have been solved with AM technology, which is capable to fabricate implants with proper surface and mechanical properties.…”

<p>Advanced Black Phosphorus Nanomaterials for Bone Regeneration</p>

“…It is well known that bioactive ions such as strontium (Sr 2+ ), magnesium, and silicon can significantly stimulate osteoblast differentiation and bone formation, and they have been widely used for tissue regeneration. 7,[105][106][107] BP exhibits high drug-loading capacity. Wang et al incorporated BP and SrCl 2 into PLGA microspheres, and local Sr 2+ release was controlled by NIR irradiation.…”

“…4,5 Allografts also frequently carry potential risks such as disease transmission, contamination, and immune response. 6,7 Thus, development of an artificial bone substitute with excellent osteoconduction, osteoinduction, and osteointegration is urgently needed. [8][9][10] Black phosphorus (BP) nanomaterials, also called phosphorene, a novel member of the two-dimensional (2D) materials family, have sparked considerable research interest since BP nanosheets were first exfoliated from bulk BP in 2014.…”