Bioactive Scaffold Fabricated by 3D Printing for Enhancing Osteoporotic Bone Regeneration

• Published in: Bioengineering (Basel) Vol. 9; no. 10; p. 525
• Main Authors: Zhang, Xiaoting, Wang, Xinluan, Lee, Yuk-Wai, Feng, Lu, Wang, Bin, Pan, Qi, Meng, Xiangbo, Cao, Huijuan, Li, Linlong, Wang, Haixing, Bai, Shanshan, Kong, Lingchi, Chow, Dick Ho Kiu, Qin, Ling, Cui, Liao, Lin, Sien, Li, Gang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.10.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: 3-D printers; 3D printing; additive effect; Bioengineering; Biological activity; Biomedical materials; Bone biomaterials; Bone growth; Bone healing; Bone implants; Calcium phosphates; Cbfa-1 protein; Controlled release; Defects; Ethanol; Extracellular signal-regulated kinase; Fetuses; Focal adhesion kinase; focal adhesion signalling; Fractures; Gene expression; Glycolic acid; icaritin; Kinases; Mesenchyme; Methods; Osteogenesis; Osteoporosis; osteoporotic bone regeneration; Ovariectomy; Phosphatase; PLGA/TCP; Polylactide-co-glycolide; Production processes; Proteins; Regeneration; Regeneration (physiology); Scaffolds; Secretome; Skin & tissue grafts; Stem cell transplantation; Stem cells; Surgical implants; Sustained release; Three dimensional printing; Germany; United States > US; osteoporotic bone regeneration; focal adhesion signalling; icaritin; PLGA/TCP; additive effect; secretome
• ISSN: 2306-5354; 2306-5354
• DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering9100525

We develop a poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)/β-calcium phosphate (PLGA/TCP)-based scaffold through a three-dimensional (3D) printing technique incorporating icaritin (ICT), a unique phytomolecule, and secretome derived from human fetal mesenchymal stem cells (HFS), to provide mechanical support and biological cues for stimulating bone defect healing. With the sustained release of ICT and HFS from the composite scaffold, the cell-free scaffold efficiently facilitates the migration of MSCs and promotes bone regeneration at the femoral defect site in the ovariectomy (OVX)-induced osteoporotic rat model. Furthermore, mechanism study results indicate that the combination of ICT and HFS additively activates the Integrin-FAK (focal adhesion kinase)-ERK1/2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2)-Runx2 (Runt-related transcription factor 2) axis, which could be linked to the beneficial recruitment of MSCs to the implant and subsequent osteogenesis enhancement. Collectively, the PLGA/TCP/ICT/HFS (P/T/I/S) bioactive scaffold is a promising biomaterial for repairing osteoporotic bone defects, which may have immense implications for their translation to clinical practice.