Incorporation of Calcium Sulfate Dihydrate into a Mesoporous Calcium Silicate/Poly-ε-Caprolactone Scaffold to Regulate the Release of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 and Accelerate Bone Regeneration

Abstract

Tissue engineering and scaffolds play an important role in tissue regeneration by supporting cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. The design of a scaffold is critical in determining its feasibility, and it is critical to note that each tissue is unique in terms of its morphology and composition. However, calcium-silicate-based scaffolds are undegradable, which severely limits their application in bone regeneration. In this study, we developed a biodegradable mesoporous calcium silicate (MS)/calcium sulfate (CS)/poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) composite and fabricated a composite scaffold with 3D printing technologies. In addition, we were able to load bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) into MS powder via a one-step immersion procedure. The results demonstrated that the MS/CS scaffold gradually degraded within 3 months. More importantly, the scaffold exhibited a gradual release of BMP-2 throughout the test period. The adhesion and proliferation of human dental pulp stem cells on the MS/CS/BMP-2 (MS/CS/B) scaffold were significantly greater than that on the MS/CS scaffold. It was also found that cells cultured on the MS/CS/B scaffold had significantly higher levels of alkaline phosphatase activity and angiogenic-related protein expression. The MS/CS/B scaffold promoted the growth of new blood vessels and bone regeneration within 4 weeks of implantation in rabbits with induced critical-sized femoral defects. Therefore, it is hypothesized that the 3D-printed MS/CS/B scaffold can act both as a conventional BMP-2 delivery system and as an ideal osteoinductive biomaterial for bone regeneration.

3D-Printed Ginsenoside Rb1-Loaded Mesoporous Calcium Silicate/Calcium Sulfate Scaffolds for Inflammation Inhibition and Bone Regeneration

“…MSCS ceramic composites were fabricated according to our previous study [ 20 ]. Firstly, 3.3 g cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB, Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) was blended with 6 mL NH 3 ·H 2 O in distilled water (ddH 2 O, 300 mL) and stirred for 15 min at 60 °C.…”

“…In addition, Si can also support adhesion interactions between cells and scaffolds, as well as promote angiogenesis-related functions of human umbilical vein endothelial cells [ 19 ]. Our previous studies have shown that mesoporous calcium silicate/calcium sulfate scaffold (MSCS) could provide a favorable microenvironment for cell proliferation, differentiation, and bone mineralization [ 20 ]. In addition, MSCS scaffolds showed anti-bacterial effects and had enhanced mechanical properties, which were able to support long-term drug release and enhanced bone regeneration in animal studies.…”

The Application of Polycaprolactone in Three-Dimensional Printing Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

“…Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are considered to be the most eminent in advancing bone growth by inducing osteogenic differentiation [ 1 , 6 , 15 ]. In Jang’s study [ 106 ], they made alginate/BMP-2/umbilical cord serum (UCS) coated on 3D-printed PCL scaffolds and demonstrated that the simultaneous use of low-dose BMP-2 and UCS significantly increased osteogenesis based in vitro and in vivo.…”

“…Autogenous bone transplantation and replacement are the main traditional options for patients with bone defects [ 3 , 4 ]. However, the potential risks of tissue grafts including complications and secondary injuries remain a major clinical challenge [ 5 , 6 ].…”

A Novel One-Pot Synthesis and Characterization of Silk Fibroin/α-Calcium Sulfate Hemihydrate for Bone Regeneration

“…The main limitation of calcium sulfate bone substitutes is its fast resorption, which exceeds the bone formation/growth rate at the defect site, leading to the creation of pores after its degradation [ 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Furthermore, despite the bone regeneration property of CS bone cements, they need to be combined with another tougher material to achieve enhanced mechanical performance [ 17 ].…”