F.Z. Cui

Hyaluronic acid hydrogels with IKVAV peptides for tissue repair and axonal regeneration in an injured rat brain.

A biocompatible hydrogel of hyaluronic acid with the neurite-promoting peptide sequence of IKVAV was synthesized. The characterization of the hydrogel shows an open porous structure and a large surface area available for cell interaction. Its ability to promote tissue repair and axonal regeneration in the lesioned rat cerebrum is also evaluated. After implantation, the polymer hydrogel repaired the tissue defect and formed a permissive interface with the host tissue. Axonal growth occurred within the microstructure of the network. Within 6 weeks the polymer implant was invaded by host-derived tissue, glial cells, blood vessels and axons. Such a hydrogel matrix showed the properties of neuron conduction. It has the potential to repair tissue defects in the central nervous system by promoting the formation of a tissue matrix and axonal growth by replacing the lost tissue.

Preparation and ectopic osteogenesis in vivo of scaffold based on mineralized recombinant human-like collagen loaded with synthetic BMP-2-derived peptide.

The ideal bone graft material must be biocompatible, biodegradable, osteoconductive and osteoinductive. In this study, a new biomimetic scaffold based on mineralized recombinant collagen, nano-hydroxyapatite/recombinant human-like collagen/poly(lactic acid) (nHA/RHLC/PLA), was prepared and the synthetic P24 peptide derived from BMP-2 was introduced into the porous nHA/RHLC/PLA scaffold to improve its osteoinductive property. The nHA/RHLC/PLA implants loaded with 3 mg, 2 mg, 1 mg and 0 mg P24 peptide were implanted subcutaneously into rats. At the 4th, 8th and 12th weeks after implantation, the rats were sacrificed in batch and the samples were harvested. Their osteogenic capability was detected by CT scan and histological observation. The results indicated that the osteogenic capability of 3 mg, 2 mg and 1 mg of the P24 peptide was superior to the implants without the P24 peptide. There was no significant difference between implants with 3 mg and 2 mg P24 peptide, but the osteogenic capability of the two dosage groups was significantly better than that of the 1 mg group. It was concluded that BMP-2-derived peptide can increase the osteoinduction of nHA/RHLC/PLA scaffold and the P24 peptide induced new bone formation in a dose-dependent manner. The nHA/RHLC/PLA scaffold loaded with the synthetic BMP-2-derived peptide is a kind of ideal scaffold material for bone tissue engineering.

Characterization and Degradation Study of Calcium Phosphate Coating on Magnesium Alloy Bone Implant In Vitro

Magnesium alloys have similar mechanical properties with natural bone, and they degrade within a certain time span. Therefore, magnesium alloys are suitable to be made as bone screws or plates. However, high susceptibility to corrosion has limited their applications in the orthopedic field. They would possess great medical functions if the degradation rates of magnesium alloys could be reduced. This paper describes approaches to form calcium phosphate coating on magnesium alloy (AZ31) to control the degradation rate. Samples of AZ31 were placed in the supersaturated calcification solution prepared with Ca (NO3)2 , NaH2PO4, and NaHCO3, and then, the calcium phosphate coating was formed. The composition, phase structure, and morphology of the coatings were investigated. The degradation behaviors of the naked and coated magnesium (Mg) alloys were studied in simulated body fluid. The results of this paper have shown that the coatings significantly decrease the degradation rate of the original Mg alloy, indicating that the Mg alloy with calcium phosphate coating is a promising degradable bone material.

Two types of mineral-related matrix vesicles in the bone mineralization of zebrafish

Two types of mineral-related matrix vesicle, multivesicular body (MVB) and monovesicle, were detected in the skeletal bone of zebrafish. Transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analyses of the vesicular inclusions reveal that both types of vesicles contain calcium and phosphorus, suggesting that these vesicles may be involved in mineral ion delivery for the bone mineralization of zebrafish. However, their size and substructure are quite different. Monovesicles, whose diameter ranges from 100 nm to 550 nm, are similar to the previously reported normal matrix vesicles, while MVBs have a larger size of 700-1000 nm in nominal diameter and possess a substructure that is composed of smaller vesicles with their average size around 100 nm. The presence of mineral-related MVBs, which is first identified in zebrafish bone, indicates that the mineralization-associated transportation process of mineral ions is more complicated than is ordinarily imagined.

Improving osteogenesis of three-dimensional porous scaffold based on mineralized recombinant human-like collagen via mussel-inspired polydopamine and effective immobilization of BMP-2-derived peptide.

An ideal bone substitute should be biocompatible, biodegradable, osteoinductive and osteoconductive. In our previous work, we fabricated a three-dimensional porous scaffold based on mineralized recombinant human-like collagen, nano-hydroxyapatite/recombinant human-like collagen/poly(lactic acid) (nHA/RHLC/PLA). Like other HA/collagen scaffolds, the nHA/RHLC/PLA scaffold lacked osteoinductive bioactivity. The purpose of the present study was to develop a polydopamine (pDA)-assisted BMP-2-derived peptide (designated as P24) surface modification strategy for improving the osteogenesis of the nHA/RHLC/PLA scaffold. The immobilization efficiency and release kinetics of P24, and in vitro osteoinductive activity of the nHA/RHLC/PLA-pDA-P24 scaffold were examined. The in vivo osteoinductive activity of the scaffold was evaluated usinga rat criticalsize calvarial defect model. Our results showed that pDA-assisted surface modification could more efficiently mediate the immobilization of P24 peptide onto the scaffold surfaces than physical adsorption. The in vitro release study showed that the P24 peptide was released slowly and steadily from the nHA/RHLC/PLA-pDA-P24 scaffold in a sustained manner, with a short initial burst release only during the first day, while the physisorbed nHA/RHLC/PLA-P24 group showed a sharp burst P24 release followed by a plateau phase. In vitro osteogenesis assay, the ALP activitiy and mRNA expression of osteo-specific markers of rat-derived mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs) in the nHA/RHLC/PLA-pDA-P24 group were significantly higher than those of the nHA/RHLC/PLA-P24 and non-P24-loaded nHA/RHLC/PLA groups. In vivo, three-dimensional CT evaluation and histological examination demonstrated the nHA/RHLC/PLA-pDA-P24 scaffolds significantly enhanced bone regeneration of rat cranial defects to a much greater extent than physisorbed nHA/RHLC/PLA-P24 and non-P24-loaded nHA/RHLC/PLA scaffolds. Our findings indicated that the pDA-assisted surface modification method could significantly improve the osteogenesis activity of the nHA/RHLC/PLA scaffold and the new nHA/RHLC/PLA-pDA-P24 scaffold was a promising scaffold biomaterial for bone tissue regeneration.