A H2S-Evolving Alternately-Catalytic Enzyme Bio-Heterojunction with Antibacterial and Macrophage-Reprogramming Activity for All-Stage Infectious Wound Regeneration.

The disorder of the macrophage phenotype and the hostile by-product of lactate evoked by pathogenic infection in hypoxic deep wound inevitably lead to the stagnant skin regeneration. In this study, we developed H2S-evolving alternately catalytic bio-heterojunction enzyme (AC-BioHJzyme) consisting of CuFe2S3 and lactate oxidase (CuFe2S3@LOD). AC-BioHJzyme exhibits circular enzyme-mimetic antibacterial (EMA) activity and macrophage re-rousing capability, which can be activated by near-infrared-II (NIR-II) light. In this system, LOD exhausts lactate derived from bacterial anaerobic respiration and generated hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which provides an abundant stock for the peroxidase-mimetic activity to convert the produced H2O2 into germicidal •OH. The GPx-mimetic activity endows AC-BioHJzyme with a glutathione consumption property to block the antioxidant systems in bacterial metabolism, while the O2 provided by the CAT-mimetic activity can generate 1O2 under the NIR-II irradiation. Synchronously, the H2S gas liberated from CuFe2S3@LOD under the infectious micromilieu allows the reduction of Fe(III)/Cu(II) to Fe(II)/Cu(І), resulting in sustained circular EMA activity. In vitro and in vivo assays indicate that the CuFe2S3@LOD AC-BioHJzyme significantly facilitates the infectious cutaneous regeneration by killing bacteria, facilitating epithelialization/collagen deposition, promoting angiogenesis and reprogramming macrophages. This study provides a countermeasure for deep infectious wound healing via circular enzyme-mimetic antibiosis and macrophage re-rousing. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Artificial periosteum promotes bone regeneration through synergistic immune regulation of aligned fibers and BMSC-recruiting phages.

Given the crucial role of periosteum in bone repair, the use of artificial periosteum to induce spontaneous bone healing instead of using bone substitutes has become a potential strategy. Also, the proper transition from pro-inflammatory signals to anti-inflammatory signals is pivotal for achieving optimal repair outcomes. Hence, we designed an artificial periosteum loaded with a filamentous bacteriophage clone named P11, featuring an aligned fiber morphology. P11 endowed the artificial periosteum with the capacity to recruit bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). The artificial periosteum also regulated the immune microenvironment at the bone injury site through the synergistic effects of biochemical factors and topography. Specifically, the inclusion of P11 preserved inflammatory signaling in macrophages and additionally facilitated the migration of BMSCs. Subsequently, aligned fibers stimulated macrophages, inducing alterations in cytoskeletal and metabolic activities, resulting in the polarization into the M2 phenotype. This progression encouraged the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs and promoted vascularization. In vivo experiments showed that the new bone generated in the AP group exhibited the most efficient healing pattern. Overall, the integration of biochemical factors with topographical considerations for sequential immunomodulation during bone repair indicates a promising approach for artificial periosteum development. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The appropriate transition of macrophages from a pro-inflammatory to an anti-inflammatory phenotype is pivotal for achieving optimal bone repair outcomes. Hence, we designed an artificial periosteum featuring an aligned fiber morphology and loaded with specific phage clones. The artificial periosteum not only fostered the recruitment of BMSCs but also achieved sequential regulation of the immune microenvironment through the synergistic effects of biochemical factors and topography, and improved the effect of bone repair. This study indicates that the integration of biochemical factors with topographical considerations for sequential immunomodulation during bone repair is a promising approach for artificial periosteum development.

Postoperatively Noninvasive Optogenetic Stimulation via Upconversion Nanoparticles Enhancing Sciatic Nerve Repair.

The efficacy of electrical stimulation facilitating peripheral nerve regeneration is evidenced extensively, while the associated secondary damage resulting from repeated electrode invasion and indiscriminate stimulation is inevitable. Here, we present an optogenetics strategy that utilizes upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) to convert deeply penetrating near-infrared excitation into blue emission, which activates an adeno-associated virus-encoding ChR2 photoresponsive ion channel on cell membranes. The induced Ca2+ flux, similar to the ion flux in the electrical stimulation approach, efficiently regulates viability and proliferation, secretion of nerve growth factor, and neural function of RSC96 cells. Furthermore, deep near-infrared excitation is harnessed to stimulate autologous Schwann cells in situ via a UCNP-composited scaffold, which enhances nerve sprouting and myelination, consequently promoting functional recovery, electrophysiological restoration, and reinnervation of damaged nerves. This developed postoperatively noninvasive optogenetics strategy presents a novel, minimally traumatic, and enduring therapeutic stimulus to effectively promote peripheral nerve repair.

Integrated GelMA and interleukin 8-loaded liposome composite scaffold for endogenous BMSCs recruitment in bone repair.

Bone repair strategies, based on endogenous stem cell recruitment, can effectively avoid immune rejection and the low utilization of exogenous stem cells. Endogenous stem cells can be recruited to the implantation site by loading chemokines onto bone tissue-engineered scaffolds. However, challenges such as unstable chemokine activity and easy inactivation after implantation remain significant. In the present study, composite fiber scaffolds ((IL8@LIP)-GelMA) consisting of Interleukin 8 (IL8) -loaded liposomes and GelMA were constructed by electrospinning and photocrosslinking, and its ability to recruit bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and immunomodulatory effect was investigated. Compared to GelMA loaded directly with IL8, scaffolds of (IL8@LIP)-GelMA demonstrated superior protection of IL8 activity, ensuring a slow and continuous release. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that the (IL8@LIP)-GelMA scaffolds effectively recruited BMSCs to the desired sites. Additionally, the (IL8@LIP)-GelMA scaffolds exhibited the capacity to recruit more macrophages to the implantation site. Importantly, they promoted the polarization of macrophages toward the M2 anti-inflammatory phenotype, facilitating the transition from the inflammatory stage to the tissue repair stage. Therefore, (IL8@LIP)-GelMA scaffolds show great potential for cell-free tissue engineering applications and provide insights into the loading mode of growth factors in scaffolds.

Ratiometric fluorescence detection of dopamine based on copper nanoclusters and carbon dots.

Nanoclusters for fluorescence detection are generally comprised of rare and expensive noble metals, and the nanoclusters based on more affordable transition metal have attracted increasing attention. This study designed a ratiometric fluorescent probe to detect dopamine (DA), an important neurotransmitter. With carbon dots encapsulated within silica (CDs@SiO2) as the reference, the emitted reference signal was almost unchanged due to the protection of inert silicon shell. Meanwhile, copper nanoclusters modified with 3-aminophenyl boronic acid (APBA-GSH-CuNCs) provided the sensing signal, in which the phenylboric acid could specifically recognize the cis-diol structure of DA, and caused the fluorescence quenching by photoinduced electron transfer. This dual emission ratiometric fluorescent probe exhibited high sensitivity and anti-interference, and was able to selectively responded to DA with a linear range of 0-1.4 mM, the detection limit of 5.6 nM, and the sensitivity of 815 mM-1. Furthermore, the probe successfully detected DA in human serum samples, yielding recoveries ranging from 92.5% to 102.7%. Overall, this study highlights the promising potential of this ratiometric probe for detecting DA.

Unveiling protein corona composition: predicting with resampling embedding and machine learning.

Biomaterials with surface nanostructures effectively enhance protein secretion and stimulate tissue regeneration. When nanoparticles (NPs) enter the living system, they quickly interact with proteins in the body fluid, forming the protein corona (PC). The accurate prediction of the PC composition is critical for analyzing the osteoinductivity of biomaterials and guiding the reverse design of NPs. However, achieving accurate predictions remains a significant challenge. Although several machine learning (ML) models like Random Forest (RF) have been used for PC prediction, they often fail to consider the extreme values in the abundance region of PC absorption and struggle to improve accuracy due to the imbalanced data distribution. In this study, resampling embedding was introduced to resolve the issue of imbalanced distribution in PC data. Various ML models were evaluated, and RF model was finally used for prediction, and good correlation coefficient (R2) and root-mean-square deviation (RMSE) values were obtained. Our ablation experiments demonstrated that the proposed method achieved an R2 of 0.68, indicating an improvement of approximately 10%, and an RMSE of 0.90, representing a reduction of approximately 10%. Furthermore, through the verification of label-free quantification of four NPs: hydroxyapatite (HA), titanium dioxide (TiO2), silicon dioxide (SiO2) and silver (Ag), and we achieved a prediction performance with an R2 value >0.70 using Random Oversampling. Additionally, the feature analysis revealed that the composition of the PC is most significantly influenced by the incubation plasma concentration, PDI and surface modification.

Progress and mechanism of graphene oxide-composited materials in application of peripheral nerve repair.

Peripheral nerve injuries (PNI) are one of the most common nerve injuries, and graphene oxide (GO) has demonstrated significant potential in the treatment of PNI. GO could enhance the proliferation, adhesion, migration, and differentiation of neuronal cells by upregulating the expression of relevant proteins, and regulate the angiogenesis process and immune response. Therefore, GO is a suitable additional component for fabricating artificial nerve scaffolds (ANS), in which the slight addition of GO could improve the physicochemical performance of the matrix materials, through hydrogen bonds and electrostatic attraction. GO-composited ANS can increase the expression of nerve regeneration-associated genes and factors, promoting angiogenesis by activating the RAS/MAPK and AKT-eNOS-VEGF signaling pathway, respectively. Moreover, GO could be metabolized and excreted from the body through the pathway of peroxidase degradation in vivo. Consequently, the application of GO in PNI regeneration exhibits significant potential for transitioning from laboratory research to clinical use.

Dendritic Oligoethylenimine Decorated Liposome with Augmented Corneal Retention and Permeation for Efficient Topical Delivery of Antiglaucoma Drugs.

The topically administered glaucoma medications usually encounter serious precorneal drug loss and low corneal penetration, leading to a low bioavailability. In addition, due to the complexity of glaucoma etiology, a single medication is often insufficient. In this work, we report a novel dendritic oligoethylenimine decorated liposome for codelivery of two antiglaucoma drugs, latanoprost and timolol. The liposome showed a uniform nanoscopic particle size, positive surface charge, and excellent dual-drug loading capacity. A prolonged precorneal retention is observed by using this liposomal delivery system. This liposomal delivery system presents increased cellular uptake and tight junctions opening capacity, contributing respectively to the transcellular and paracellular permeation, thereby enhancing the trans-corneal transportation. Following topical administration of one eye drop in brown Norway rats, the dual-drug-loaded liposome formulation resulted in a sustained and effective intraocular pressure reduction as long as 5 days, without inducing ocular inflammation, discomfort, and tissue damage.

Vanadium-Doped Mesoporous Bioactive Glass Promotes Osteogenic Differentiation of rBMSCs via the WNT/ß-Catenin Signaling Pathway.

Pentavalent vanadium [V(V)] has been studied as bioactive ions to improve the bone defect repair; however, its osteogenic promotion mechanism is still not fully understood so far. In this study, a V-doped mesoporous bioactive glass (V-MBG) was prepared, and its effects on osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) and potential signaling pathways were investigated. The physicochemical characterization revealed that the incorporation of V slightly reduced the specific surface area and increased the mesoporous pore size, and the abundant mesopores of V-MBG were beneficial to the sustained dissolution of V(V) ions as well as calcium, silicon, and phosphorus ions. Cell proliferation results indicated that the high dilution ratio (>16) V-MBG extract markedly promoted the proliferation of rBMSCs compared with the control group and the same dilution ratio MBG extract. Compared with the same dilution ratio MBG extract, diluted V-MBG extracts markedly promoted the secretion of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and osteocalcin (OCN) protein at day 7 but insignificantly stimulated the runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein synthesis. In depth, the diluted V-MBG extracts remarkably up-regulated the expression of WNT/ß-catenin pathway direct target genes, including WNT3a, ß-catenin, and AXIN2 genes in contrast to the same dilution ratio MBG extracts, suggesting that the released V(V) ions might promote osteogenic differentiation of rBMSCs via the WNT/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

A dual-targeting peptide for glioblastoma screened by phage display peptide library biopanning combined with affinity-adaptability analysis.

The obstruction of blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the poor specific targeting are still the major obstacles and challenges of targeted nano-pharmaceutical therapy for glioblastoma (GBM) up to now. It is critical to find appropriate targeting ligands that can effectively mediate the nano-pharmaceuticals to penetrate brain capillary endothelial cells (BCECs) and then specifically bind to glioblastoma cells (GCs). Herein, a dual-targeting ligand for GBM was screened by the combination of phage display peptide library biopanning and affinity-adaptability analysis. Based on the acquisition of sub-library of peptide which exhibited the specific affinity to both BCECs and GCs, a comparison parameter of relative affinity was deliberately introduced to evaluate the relative affinity of candidate peptides to U251-MG cells and bEnd.3 cells. The optimized WTW peptide (sequenced as WTWEYTK) was provided with a high relative affinity (RU/B = 2.44), implying that its high affinity to U251-MG cells and moderate affinity to bEnd.3 cells might synergistically promote its receptor-mediated internalization and transport, the dissociation from bEnd.3, and the binding to U251-MG. The results of BBB model trials in vitro showed that the BBB penetration efficiency and GBM accumulation of WTW peptide were significantly higher than those of WSL peptide, GNH peptide, and REF peptide. Results of orthotopic GBM xenograft model assays in vivo also indicated that WTW peptide had successfully penetrated the BBB and improved accumulation in GBM. The screened WTW peptide might be the potential dual-targeting ligand to motivate the advancement of GBM targeted therapy.

Unique Chirality Selection in Neural Cells for D-Matrix Enabling Specific Manipulation of Cell Behaviors.

Manipulating neural cell behaviors is a critical issue to various therapies for neurological diseases and damages, where matrix chirality has long been overlooked despite the proven adhesion and proliferation improvement of multiple non-neural cells by L-matrixes. Here, it is reported that the D-matrix chirality specifically enhances cell density, viability, proliferation, and survival in four different types of neural cells, contrasting its inhibition in non-neural cells. This universal impact on neural cells is defined as "chirality selection for D-matrix" and is achieved through the activation of JNK and p38/MAPK signaling pathways by the cellular tension relaxation resulting from the weak interaction between D-matrix and cytoskeleton proteins, particularly actin. Also, D-matrix promotes sciatic nerve repair effectively, both with or without non-neural stem cell implantation, by improving the population, function, and myelination of autologous Schwann cells. D-matrix chirality, as a simple, safe, and effective microenvironment cue to specifically and universally manipulate neural cell behaviors, holds extensive application potential in addressing neurological issues such as nerve regeneration, neurodegenerative disease treatment, neural tumor targeting, and neurodevelopment.

Multi-Functional Bio-HJzyme: Revolutionizing Diabetic Skin Regeneration with its Glucose-Unlocked Sterilization and Programmed Anti-Inflammatory Effects.

Antibacterial dynamic therapy (ADT) triggered by reactive oxygen species (ROS) is promising for diabetic infectious disease treatment. However, the limited local O2 /H2 O2 production and post-treatment inflammation remain long-standing issues. To address these challenges, a novel H2 -evolving bio-heterojunction enzyme (Bio-HJzyme) consisting of graphite-phase carbon nitride/copper sulfide (CN/Cu2-x S) heterojunction and glucose oxidase (GOx) is created. The Bio-HJzyme offers glutathione peroxidase (GPx), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) mimetic activities; provides anti-pathogen properties via programmed light activation; and effectively promotes diabetic wound healing. Specifically, its GPx-mimetic activity and the presence of GOx significantly enhance the yield of H2 O2 , which can be catalyzed through POD-mimetic activity to produce highly germicidal •OH. The H2 O2 can also be catalyzed to H2 O and O2 , assisted by the CAT-mimetic activity. The catalyzed products can then be catalyzed into germicidal •OH and •O2 - under NIR light irradiation, giving enhanced ADT. Further, CN can split water to form H2 under solar light, which dramatically suppresses the inflammation caused by excessive ROS. In vivo evaluation confirms that Bio-HJzyme promotes the regeneration of diabetic infectious skin through killing bacteria, enhancing angiogenesis, promoting wound bed epithelialization, and reinforcing anti-inflammatory responses; hence, providing a revolutionary approach for diabetic wounds healing.

Identification of a Specific Phage as Growth Factor Alternative Promoting the Recruitment and Differentiation of MSCs in Bone Tissue Regeneration.

Inefficient use and loss of exogenously implanted mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are major concerns in MSCs-based bone tissue engineering. It is a promising approach to overcome the above issues by recruiting and regulation of endogenous MSCs. However, there are few substances that can recruit MSCs effectively and specifically to the site of bone injury. In this study, we identified a phage clone (termed P11) with specific affinity for MSCs through phage display biopanning, and further investigated the effects of P11 on the cytological behavior of MSCs and macrophages. The results showed that P11 could bind MSCs specifically and promote the proliferation and migration of MSCs. Meanwhile, P11 could polarize macrophages to the M1 phenotype and significantly changed their morphology, which further enhanced the chemotaxis of MSCs. Additionally, RNA-seq results revealed that P11 could promote the secretion of osteogenesis-related markers in MSCs through the TPL2-MEK-ERK signaling pathway. Altogether, P11 has great potential to be used as growth factor alternatives in bone tissue engineering, with the advantages of cheaper and stable activity. Our study also advances the understanding of the effects of phages on macrophages and MSCs, and provides a new idea for the development in the field of phage-based tissue engineering.

Study on the preparation of Interleukin 8 loaded hydrogel fiber and regulation on recruitment of stem cells.

The high wastage rate and low survival rate of seed cells in conventional bone tissue engineering (BTE) are always a challenge for tissue regeneration. Constructing scaffolds that could continuously recruit endogenous stem cells is considered a novel way to promote tissue repair. In this study, a GelMA fiber hydrogel membrane loaded interleukin 8 (IL8) (IL8-GelMA), was prepared via electrostatic spinning technology. Compared with Gelatin fiber, GelMA fiber possessed a smooth morphology with nanoscale diameter and better physical properties including hydrophilicity, elastic modulus, swelling rate and degradation rate. In addition, IL8-GelMA fiber membranes could lead an osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Moreover, the results of chemotaxis experiment demonstrated that both IL8 and IL8-GelMA fiber membranes promote the migration of BMSCsin vitro. These results suggested that IL8-GelMA fiber membranes can be used for cell-free scaffold of bone repair, which can not only recruit endogenous BMSCs, but also promote osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs.

Combined photothermal-photodynamic therapy by indocyanine green loaded polydopamine nanoparticles enhances anti-mammary gland tumor efficacy.

Various nano-targeted drug delivery systems have been developed for combined photothermal-photodynamic (PTT-PDT) treatment of tumors due to better outcomes compared with monomodality therapy. Here, we constructed a facile two-step method without core templates to obtain indocyanine green (ICG) loaded-hyaluronic acid (HA) surface-coated polydopamine nanoparticles (IIPH). The prepared nanoparticles demonstrated an excellent photothermal conversion capacity and efficient singlet oxygen production. Both in vitro and in vivo studies proved that IIPH could significantly inhibit the growth of tumor by PTT-PDT combinational treatment. All the results indicated that IIPH NPs hold great potential to be utilized as a new photothermal-photodynamic composite for cancer treatment.

Quasi-aligned Cu2S/Cu(OH)2nanorod arrays anchored on Cu foam as self-supported electrode for non-enzymatic glucose detection.

Self-supported Cu2S/Cu(OH)2composite nanorods for highly sensitive non-enzymatic glucose sensing werein situgrown on Cu foam by simple hydrothermal treatment of aligned Cu(OH)2nanorods. The physicochemical and electrochemical properties of the as-fabricated Cu2S/Cu(OH)2composite nanorods were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscope, x-ray photoelectron spectroscope, cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, amperometrici-tmeasurements. The mechanism of the composite nanorods produced on conductive substrates was also explored. The electrode exhibits a sensitivity of 9626.88µA mM-1cm-2towards glucose with good anti-interference ability, indicating it a promising electrode material for the enhanced non-enzymatic glucose detection.

Gene delivery of chitosan-graft-polyethyleneimine vectors loaded on scaffolds for nerve regeneration.

As an important transcription factor, c-Jun could upregulate growth factors expression in Schwann cells (SCs). Arginine-Glycine-Aspartate (RGD)-functionalized chitosan-graft-polyethyleneimine (RCP) gene vectors were prepared through the maleic anhydride & the carbodiimide methods, and electrostatically bound with c-Jun plasmids (pJUN), finally loaded on poly-L-lactic acid/silk fibroin parallel fiber films to fabricate nerve scaffold (RCP/pJUN-PSPF@PGA), which could locally deliver c-Jun plasmids into SCs via the mediation of RGD peptides, and upregulate the expression of nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in SCs. After the scaffold was bridged in sciatic nerve defect, the delivery of c-Jun plasmids from RCP/pJUN-PSPF@PGA facilitated SCs to sustain the expressions of NGF, BDNF and vascular endothelial growth factor in the injury field, promoting myelination, axonal growth and microvascular generation and nerve regeneration, muscle reinnervation and functional recovery. These results suggested that RCP/pDNA-PSPF@PGA, as an effective gene delivery platform, could provide a local gene therapy to improve nerve regeneration.

Preliminary Study on the Antigen-Removal from Extracellular Matrix via Different Decellularization.

Due to the abundance of bioactive components, surficial decoration with cell-derived extracellular matrix (ECM) is a promising strategy to improve the biological functionality of the tissue engineering scaffolds. However, decellularization is necessary to remove antigenic components in the ECM that may trigger adverse immune response. Freeze-thaw (FT) cycles and treatment with Triton X-100/ammonium hydroxide (TN) are two commonly used decellularization methods for ECM, but their effects on both growth factor retention and antigen removal are still controversial. The objectives of this study are to compare the preservation of ECM texture and beneficial ingredients and the removal of cellular antigens by these two methods. First, the constructs combined bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived ECM and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) membrane are prepared and decellularized using FT and TN treatments. Moreover, the effects of decellularization on the ultrastructure and the composition of ECM-decorated PLGA membrane are compared by scanning electron microscope observation and protein quantification. Furthermore, the ECM deposited on PLGA is stripped off and then implanted subcutaneously in rats, and the host macrophage and local lymphocyte responses were investigated. Finally, ECM-decorated porous PLGA scaffolds are implanted into rat calvarial defects, and the new bone formation is evaluated. Our results showed that both methods effectively removed DNA. TN treatment partially retained collagen, glycosaminoglycan, bone morphogenetic protein-2, and vascular endothelial growth factor, and better preserved structural integrity than FT treatment. ECM implants decellularized by both methods induced a mild host response after subcutaneous implantation. Although the total content of residual DNA in the two ECMs digested by the DNA enzyme seemed to be similar and very low, the interfaces between implanted materials and natural tissues in the TN group recruited lower numbers of CD68+ macrophages, CD68+CD86+ (M1) macrophages, and CD4+ T lymphocytes than that in FT group, implying that there exist other ECM antigens to influence immune response besides DNA. Furthermore, ECM-decorated scaffolds decellularized by TN treatment induced greater bone formation than that of bare scaffolds in vivo, demonstrating the effective retention of ECM bioactive components after decellularization. This study showed that TN treatment was a more effective and safer decellularization method than FT cycles. Impact statement Decellularization is a prerequisite for extracellular matrix (ECM) application, but there is still no standard for its selection. This study demonstrated that detergent treatment was more effective than freeze-thaw (FT) cycles in removing ECM antigens besides DNA, and the prepared ECM elicited a milder allogenic immune response, which ensured the safety of ECM. Moreover, detergent better preserved the ECM integrity than FT cycles, and effectively retained growth factors, and the decellularized ECM-decorated scaffolds significantly promoted bone repair, which ensured the effectiveness of ECM. This study provides the theoretical and experimental bases for the decellularization strategy of ECM-modified tissue engineering scaffolds.

Coordination of Osteoblastogenesis and Osteoclastogenesis by the Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Matrix To Promote Bone Regeneration.

Extracellular matrix (ECM)-based therapies have been developed to improve bone repair because of their abundance of bioactive components. Besides the osteogenic promotion and the immune response, the potential effect of the ECM on the coordination between osteoblastogenesis and osteoclastogenesis in vivo should also deserve great attention because both osteoblasts and osteoclasts get involved in bone regeneration and are critical for the final repair outcome. Herein, based on our previous study on decellularization, antigen removal, and growth factor retention, porous poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffolds decorated with the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC)-derived ECM were prepared, and the functions of the ECM on BMSC osteogenic differentiation and osteoclastogenesis in vitro were preferentially investigated. Afterward, bone regeneration and osteoclast formation in vivo induced by ECM-decorated PLGA scaffolds were further studied. The in vitro tests revealed that ECM-decorated PLGA scaffolds obviously facilitated BMSC proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. However, when osteoclast precursors were cultured on the BMSC-derived ECM, the number and size of osteoclasts, expression of cathepsin K and matrix metalloproteinase 9, and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity were notably decreased, accompanied by the reduction in the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level. Interestingly, the addition of exogenous hydrogen peroxide elevated the osteoclast amount on the ECM and up-regulated the resorption-related enzyme levels, implying that the repressive effect of the BMSC-derived ECM on osteoclasts may be related to the intracellular ROS. After implantation into calvarial defects, the ECM-decorated PLGA scaffolds significantly increased bone volume and bone mineral density compared with bare PLGA scaffolds and did not stimulate the overmuch formation of osteoclasts in vivo. This study evidenced that the BMSC-derived ECM may coordinate osteoblastogenesis and osteoclastogenesis and promote favorable bone formation without stimulating bone resorption.