The Role of Microsphere Structures in Bottom-Up Bone Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Bone defects have caused immense healthcare concerns and economic burdens throughout the world. Traditional autologous allogeneic bone grafts have many drawbacks, so the emergence of bone tissue engineering brings new hope. Bone tissue engineering is an interdisciplinary biomedical engineering method that involves scaffold materials, seed cells, and “growth factors”. However, the traditional construction approach is not flexible and is unable to adapt to the specific shape of the defect, causing the cells inside the bone to be unable to receive adequate nourishment. Therefore, a simple but effective solution using the “bottom-up” method is proposed. Microspheres are structures with diameters ranging from 1 to 1000 µm that can be used as supports for cell growth, either in the form of a scaffold or in the form of a drug delivery system. Herein, we address a variety of strategies for the production of microspheres, the classification of raw materials, and drug loading, as well as analyze new strategies for the use of microspheres in bone tissue engineering. We also consider new perspectives and possible directions for future development.

A Tumor Targeting Strategy of Phytoflavonoid Biochanin A for Efficient Fluorescence‐Guided Chemotherapy

“…[6][7][8] Recently, biochanin A (BCA), a methylated derivative of isoflavone genistein, has attracted great attention because of its promising therapeutic potential, including antioxidant, antifibrotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-infective, and anticarcinogenic effects. [9][10][11][12] As a chemotherapeutic agent, the previous studies have reported in vitro anticancer efficacy of BCA on various cancer cell lines, including prostate, breast, lung, and pancreatic cancer cells, by the induction of apoptosis and inactivation of AKT/ERK signaling. [13,14] However, the clinical efficacy of BCA is limited by its low oral bioavailability and high body clearance, owing to poor aqueous solubility.…”