Osseointegration effect of biomimetic intrafibrillarly mineralized collagen applied simultaneously with titanium implant: A pilot in vivo study

Abstract

Objectives To investigate the promoting effects of biomimetic intrafibrillarly mineralized collagen (IMC) bone scaffold material on the osseointegration of a titanium implant simultaneously grafted into a critical‐sized bone defect as well as the underlying mechanisms involved. Materials and Methods A critical‐sized bone defect was created in the rat femur, and a titanium (Ti) implant surrounded by IMC or extrafibrillarly mineralized collagen (EMC) bone scaffold material was placed in the defect. A blank group and a natural bone group were included as controls. Osseointegration was assessed by micro‐computed tomographic, histological, and biochemical evaluations at 12 weeks postoperatively. Microarray technology was applied for transcriptional profile analysis at days 7 and 14 postoperatively. Results Significant bone regeneration and osseointegration were observed in the IMC and EMC groups according to μ‐CT and histological analyses. The bone volume (BV)/total volume (TV) fraction, bone‐to‐implant contact percentage, and bone area percentage as well as ultimate shear strength and maximal pull‐out force were all significantly higher in the IMC group than in the EMC group (all p < 0.05). Transcriptional analysis revealed overexpression of genes mainly associated with cell proliferation, immuno‐inflammatory response, skeletogenesis, angiogenesis, neurogenesis, and skeletogenesis‐related pathways during the early process of osseointegration in the IMC group. Conclusion Our data suggest that IMC placed simultaneously with a Ti implant may be a promising strategy in jawbone defect reconstruction. Several candidate genes that were found to be differentially expressed in the IMC group may be responsible for the superior osseointegration effects in this model.

Hierarchical Intrafibrillarly Mineralized Collagen Membrane Promotes Guided Bone Regeneration and Regulates M2 Macrophage Polarization

“…During normal fracture healing, pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages gradually transform into anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages, which corresponds to the regression of inflammation and the initiation of the osteogenesis process (Schlundt et al, 2018;Zhang et al, 2019). The transformation from M1 to M2 macrophages also contributes to the recruitment of MSCs and the consequent osteogenesis differentiation (Gibon et al, 2016;Weitzmann and Ofotokun, 2016).…”

“…In contrast, hierarchical intrafibrillarly mineralized collagen (HIMC), which presents a surface that is highly similar to the natural bone matrix based on a hierarchical combination of collagen and HA, shows superior option for GBR applications (Liu et al, 2016). Both cell and animal studies have verified the excellent osteogenic induction potential and bone regeneration capacity of HIMC material (Liu et al, 2014;Sun et al, 2016;Zhang et al, 2019).…”

Advances in biomimetic collagen mineralisation and future approaches to bone tissue engineering

“…[165] The more an implant resembles the resultant osseous structure, the faster the integration will be as less time and energy must be devoted by local cells, consequently recovering faster. The work by Zhang et al [165] demonstrates this, where an intrafibrillary mineralised scaffold greatly outperformed one which was extra-fibrillary mineralised, both mechanically and in healing rate.…”

Vancomycin-Loaded Collagen/Hydroxyapatite Layers Electrospun on 3D Printed Titanium Implants Prevent Bone Destruction Associated with S. epidermidis Infection and Enhance Osseointegration

“…Three months following implantation, the nano-CaP implants exhibited a bone volume in the inner zone of the implants as assessed by micro-CT of 45.9% ± 9.9% and the collagen-coated implants of 55.9% ± 9.7%. Zhang et al [ 64 ] studied the osseointegration of titanium implants surrounded by biomimetic nanosized hydroxyapatite and collagen prepared via intrafibrillar (IMC) [ 65 ] and extrafibrillar (EMC) [ 66 ] mineralization. Three months following implantation in the distal femoral condyle of male Sprague–Dawley rats, the micro-CT evaluation of the osseointegration revealed a ratio of the bone volume to the total volume of 41.9% ± 7.7% for the IMC and 19.9% ± 6.1% for the EMC.…”