Radially Porous Nanocomposite Scaffolds with Enhanced Capability for Guiding Bone Regeneration In Vivo

• Published in: Advanced functional materials Vol. 32; no. 18
• Main Authors: Jiang, Si‐Jing, Wang, Mo‐Han, Wang, Ze‐Yu, Gao, Huai‐Ling, Chen, Si‐Ming, Cong, Yun‐Hong, Yang, Lu, Wen, Shao‐Meng, Cheng, Dong‐Dong, He, Jia‐Cai, Yu, Shu‐Hong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-05-2022
• Subjects: Biocompatibility; Biomedical materials; bone regeneration; Casting defects; Chitosan; directional freeze‐casting; Hydroxyapatite; In vivo methods and tests; Materials science; nanocomposite scaffolds; Nanocomposites; Nanoparticles; osteogenic differentiation; radially porous structures; Regeneration (physiology); Repair; Scaffolds
• ISSN: 1616-301X; 1616-3028
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202110931

An ideal bone repair scaffold is expected to possess superior architectural characteristics to facilitate the adhesion, proliferation, and migration of bone‐repair‐related cells, while excluding nonosteogenic cells and fibrous tissues from interfering with normal bone regeneration. Unfortunately, such scaffold material has rarely been reported. Herein, nanocomposite scaffolds with a radially ordered porous structure are presented, manufactured using a modified directional freeze‐casting method, and are promising bone defect repair materials to satisfy this requirement. The prepared nanocomposite scaffolds consist of a natural bio‐macromolecule, chitosan, and bioactive hydroxyapatite nanoparticles derived from porcine cortical bone, demonstrating favorable biocompatibility and biological functions. Both in vitro cell studies and in vivo animal studies reveal the great superiority of the radially oriented porous structure of the scaffolds in guiding bone regeneration, while simultaneously preventing the invasion of surrounding nonosteogenic cells and fibrous tissue, compared to the axially oriented porous structure. This work indicates the distinctive potential of radially oriented porous scaffolds for repairing tabular and lacunar bone defects.
A nanocomposite scaffold with a radially oriented porous structure is engineered via a modified freeze‐casting method. The unique structural feature renders the nanocomposite scaffold with great superiority in guiding the infiltration and migration of bone‐repair‐related cells into the scaffold, while preventing the invasion of surrounding nonosteogenic cells and fibrous tissues from interfering with the normal bone regeneration process.