An ideal artificial bone will likely be multifunctional, combining different technologies to simultaneously promote bone regeneration while inhibiting microbial infection. In this study, copper- (Cu-) doped nano laponite (cnLAP) was prepared by a cation-exchanged method, and the cnLAP coating on poly(butylene succinate) (PBSu) scaffold was fabricated by poly(dopamine) modification. The results showed that incorporation of Cu ions into nano laponite (nLAP) did not have obvious effects on the morphology and surface area of cnLAP (compared with nLAP), which could be coated easily on macroporous PBSu scaffolds. In addition, the cnLAP-coated PBSu scaffolds could inhibit the growth of both Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), indicating good antibacterial activity. Moreover, the cnLAP-coated PBSu scaffolds significantly promoted proliferation and improved alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) compared with PBSu scaffolds. Furthermore, no obvious differences in cell responses to cnLAP- and nLAP-coated PBSu scaffolds were found, indicating that incorporation of Cu into nLAP had no negative effects on its cytocompatibility. The results suggested that the cnLAP-coated PBSu scaffolds exhibited excellent cytocompatibility and antimicrobial activity, which might offer promising opportunities for promoting bone regeneration and prevention of infectious from bacteria and effective treatment of bone defects.

Bioactive and degradable scaffolds of nano magnesium silicate (n-MS)/zein (ZN)/poly(caprolactone) (PCL) ternary composites were prepared by 3D-printing method. The results showed that the 3D-printed scaffolds possessed controllable pore structure, and pore morphology, pore size, porosity and pore interconnectivity of the scaffolds can be efficiently adjusted. In addition, the apatite-mineralization ability of the scaffolds in simulated body fluids was obviously improved with the increase of ZN content, in which the scaffold with 20 w% ZN (C20) possessed excellent apatite-mineralization ability. Moreover, the degradability of the scaffolds was significantly enhanced with the increase of ZN content in the scaffolds.The degradation of ZN produced acidic products that could neutralize the alkaline products from the degradation of n-MS, which avoid the increase of pH value in degradable solution. Furthermore, the MC3T3-E1 cells responses (e.g. proliferation and differentiation, etc.) to the scaffolds were significantly promoted with the increase of ZN content. The in vivo osteogenesis of the scaffolds implanted the femur defects of rabbits was investigated by micro-CT and histological analysis. The results demonstrated that the new bone formation was significantly enhanced with the increase of ZN content, in which the C20 scaffold induced the highest new bone tissues, indicating excellent osteogenesis. The results suggested that the ZN in the ternary composite scaffolds played key roles in assisting bone regeneration in vivo. Fig. 1 TEM image (a) and EDS (b) of n-MS, and XRD (c) of n-MS and ZN, and XRD (d) of C0, C10 and C20 scaffolds.Fig. 3 SEM micrographs of C0 (a and b), C10 (c and d) and C20 (e and f) scaffolds under different magnification after immersed into SBF for 5 days, EDS (g) of C20 scaffold immersed into SBF for 5 days, and the change of ions concentrations with time (h) after C20 scaffold immersed into SBF.

No abstract

PBSu/LAP bio-nanocomposite scaffolds were prepared, and the sPL30 scaffolds significantly stimulated cell adhesion and proliferation.