Integrity of the ECM Influences the Bone Regenerative Property of ECM/Dicalcium Phosphate Composite Scaffolds

Abstract

Due to the limitation of clinical autologous bone supply and other issues, the development of bone regeneration materials is still a hot topic. Natural tissue-derived bone repair materials have good biocompatibility and degradability, but their structure and properties are likely to be adversely affected during terminal sterilization. In this study, a composite scaffold consisting of the acellular extracellular matrix and dicalcium phosphate (ECM/DCP) was fabricated and terminally sterilized by γ-ray irradiation. In addition, the ECM/DCP scaffold was saturated with water and was also sterilized by γ-ray irradiation (RX-ECM/DCP). Results showed that the triple helix structure of collagen was better maintained in RX-ECM/DCP than in ECM/DCP. The thermal stability of RX-DCP/ECM was much better than that of ECP/ECM. The in vitro and in vivo performances of both types of scaffolds were also evaluated. The RX-ECM/DCP scaffold exhibited better in vitro bioactivity than that of the ECM/DCP scaffold as evidenced by more mineral formation in the simulated body fluid. In addition, RX-ECM/DCP also induced more effective bone regeneration than the ECM/DCP scaffold did in a rat calvarial defect model. Results sufficiently demonstrated that the addition of water to the scaffold could protect the structure of the ECM/DCP scaffold from being damaged by γ-ray irradiation during the terminal sterilization process. In summary, this study demonstrated a means to protect the ECM structure, which in turn led to the improvement of bone regenerative properties of the materials during γ-ray irradiation of ECM-based bone repair materials.

Alkaline earth metals for osteogenic scaffolds: From mechanisms to applications

“…Considering the current research trend, the pursuit of osteogenic properties of scaffold materials is increasing. Researchers are making efforts to load osteogenic factors into scaffold materials, such as bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (BMP‐2), extracellular matrix (ECM), metal ions, and so forth 9–12 . The introduction of exogenous metal ions with different properties can improve the osteogenic performance of scaffold materials; incorporating zinc (Zn) and silver (Ag) into scaffold materials can provide good antibacterial ability 13 .…”

“…Researchers are making efforts to load osteogenic factors into scaffold materials, such as bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), extracellular matrix (ECM), metal ions, and so forth. [9][10][11][12] The introduction of exogenous metal ions with different properties can improve the osteogenic performance of scaffold materials; incorporating zinc (Zn) and silver (Ag) into scaffold materials can provide good antibacterial ability. 13 Bin et al 14 designed a PLLA bone scaffold by incorporating Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles.…”