3D printing of Ti₃C₂-MXene-incorporated composite scaffolds for accelerated bone regeneration

Abstract

Grafting of bone-substitute biomaterials plays a vital role in the reconstruction of bone defects. However, the design of bioscaffolds with osteoinductive agents and biomimetic structures for regeneration of critical-sized bone defects is difficult. Ti3C2 MXene—belonging to a new class of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials—exhibits excellent biocompatibility, and antibacterial properties, and promotes osteogenesis. However, its application in preparing 3D-printed tissue-engineered bone scaffolds for repairing bone defects has not been explored. In this work, Ti3C2 MXene was incorporated into composite scaffolds composed of hydroxyapatite (HA) and sodium alginate (SA) via extrusion-based 3D printing to evaluate its potential in bone regeneration. MXene composite scaffolds were fabricated and characterized by SEM, XPS, mechanical properties and porosity. The biocompatibility and osteoinductivity of MXene composite scaffolds were evaluated by cell adhesion, CCK-8 test, qRT-PCR, ALP activity and ARS tests of BMSCs. A rat calvarial defect model was performed to explore the osteogenic activity of the MXene composite scaffolds in vivo. The results showed the obtained scaffold had a uniform structure, macropore morphology, and high mechanical strength. In vitro experimental results revealed that the scaffold exhibited excellent biocompatibility with bone mesenchymal stem cells, promoted cell proliferation, upregulated osteogenic gene expression, enhanced alkaline phosphatase activity, and promoted mineralized-nodule formation. The experimental results confirmed that the scaffold effectively promoted bone regeneration in a model of critical-sized calvarial- bone-defect in vivo and promoted bone healing to a significantly greater degree than scaffolds without added Ti3C2 MXene did. Conclusively, the Ti3C2 MXene composite 3D-printed scaffolds are promising for clinical bone defect treatment, and the results of this study provide a theoretical basis for the development of practical applications for tissue-engineered bone scaffolds.

Biomedical Applications of MXene‐Integrated Composites: Regenerative Medicine, Infection Therapy, Cancer Treatment, and Biosensing

“…[25] Different techniques have also been employed to process the MXene-based nanocomposites into various shapes and architectures, such as membrane, nanofiber, porous material, polymeric microparticles, and 3D-printed products (Figure 1). [26][27][28]…”

“…Reproduced under terms of the CC-BY license. [27] Copyright 2022, The Authors, published by IOP Publishing. quality of wound healing and skin regeneration has been a challenge for those wounds infected with bacteria, particularly drug-resistance bacteria.…”

“…Reproduced under terms of the CC‐BY license. [ 27 ] Copyright 2022, The Authors, published by IOP Publishing.…”

“…The SEM images displayed a large number of BMSCs homogeneously adhered to the surface of Ti 3 C 2 –MXene composite scaffolds without an observable change in morphology of BMSCs, confirming the excellent cell adhesion and viability of BMSCs (Figure 3K). [ 27 ] Consequently, it was found that the Ti 3 C 2 –MXene modified HA/SA scaffolds could effectively enhance the regeneration of calvarial bone defects, and the bone healing was specifically higher than those without Ti 3 C 2 –MXene incorporation.…”

Recent advances on injectable nanocomposite hydrogels towards bone tissue rehabilitation

“…Their study suggested that MXene composite scaffolds exhibit osteoinductivity and can fulfill the requirements of regeneration of critical-sized bone defects. 211 In another study by Chen et al, strong biocompatible Ti 3 C 2 T z -based MXenes nanosheets were applied on poly (lactic acid) (PLA) membranes and the histological studies revealed enhanced cell adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation. 212 There also has been report of using 0D titanium carbide (Ti 3 C 2 ) MXene quantum dots (MQDs) along with BMMSC within chitosan-based hydrogel to create a 3D platform for enhancing material-based tissue repair after injury.…”