Fabrication of piezoelectric porous BaTiO₃ scaffold to repair large segmental bone defect in sheep

Abstract

Porous titanium scaffolds can provide sufficient mechanical support and bone growth space for large segmental bone defect repair. However, they fail to restore the physiological environment of bone tissue. Barium titanate (BaTiO3) is considered a smart material that can produce an electric field in response to dynamic force. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound stimulation (LIPUS), as a kind of micromechanical wave, can not only promote bone repair but also induce BaTiO3 to generate an electric field. In our studies, BaTiO3 was coated on porous Ti6Al4V and LIPUS was externally applied to observe the influence of the piezoelectric effect on the repair of large bone defects in vitro and in vivo. The results show that the piezoelectric effect can effectively promote the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) in vitro as well as bone formation and growth into implants in vivo. This study provides an optional alternative to the conventional porous Ti6Al4V scaffold with enhanced osteogenesis and osseointegration for the repair of large bone defects.

Effect of Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound on the Graft-Bone Healing of Artificial Ligaments: An In Vitro and In Vivo Study

“…This stimulus can make the bone tissue itself produce the piezoelectric effect, change the internal potential of bone tissue, and thus stimulate bone formation. 25…”

Biological Effects of a Three-Dimensionally Printed Ti6Al4V Scaffold Coated with Piezoelectric BaTiO3 Nanoparticles on Bone Formation

“…The above parameters are critical for bone tissue formation. In our previous study, , we prepared pTi/BaTiO 3 scaffolds and applied them to the study of large bone defects in sheep and rabbits and achieved good bone repair results. In this study, we used the same technique to prepare interbody fusion cages for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion in sheep.…”

“…Meanwhile, the preparation of BaTiO 3 implants with personalized and precise spatial configurations presents challenges, mainly because there are challenges in processing and formulating the raw material for printing and inducing piezoelectricity . Our previous study showed that a BaTiO 3 coating on a porous a Ti6Al4V scaffold could improve the growth of new bone tissue and improve the repair efficiency of large bone defects in load-bearing areas, , suggesting that combining 3D-printed porous Ti6Al4V with piezoelectric BaTiO 3 is a promising therapeutic strategy for bone defects, such as those obtained by trauma or orthopedic surgery.…”

Piezoelectric Electrospun Fibrous Scaffolds for Bone, Articular Cartilage and Osteochondral Tissue Engineering

“…As a result, when incorporated in vivo within a load-bearing tissue (such as the OCT-, cartilage-or bone ECM), being subject to native loads produced by skeletal mobility, this material is capable of attracting different cations, such as Ca , Barium titanate, the first lead-free piezoceramic to be developed and the most studied piezoceramic in TE, is highly biocompatible, with several in vitro and in vivo studies reporting their ability to promote cell attachment, cell proliferation, and tissue growth, among other relevant cellular activities [33,42,54]. Multiple studies have also identified the osteoconductive and osteoinductive potential of this bioactive ceramic [42,48,58]. Barium titanate is also characterized by a high Young's modulus (118 GPa) and compressive strength (913.2 MPa) [59].…”