Materials Today Bio (Dec 2024)

Injectable, oxygen-releasing, thermosensitive hydrogel promotes vascularized bone formation with prolonged oxygen delivery and improved osteoinductivity

  • Yixin Xu,
  • Shaowei Zheng,
  • Zinan Tang,
  • Qiang Zhong,
  • Rong Chen,
  • Pinkai Wang,
  • Jinlang Fu,
  • Jiajun Xie,
  • Yanhong Ning,
  • Mingyuan Lei,
  • Ding Wang,
  • Huaming Mai,
  • Hao Li,
  • Chunhan Sun,
  • Zhanjun Shi,
  • Hao Cheng,
  • Zhe Shi

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 29
p. 101267

Abstract

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The failure or delay in healing of critical bone defects is primarily due to early local anoxic conditions and reduced osteogenic activity. In this research, we integrated calcium peroxide (CPO) embedded polycaprolactone (PCL) microspheres and osteoinductive nanoparticles (Hydroxyapatite/Laponite) into a thermosensitive hydrogel (Pluronic F127), thereby formulating an injectable oxygen-releasing osteogenic thermosensitive hydrogel. Notably, the oxygen-releasing microspheres (ORMs) within the composite hydrogel provide stable oxygen release for up to 21 days, ensuring the survival, migration, and bioactivity of both mesenchymal stem cells and endothelial cells under anoxic conditions. Additionally, the composite hydrogel significantly augments the osteogenic potential of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by providing a biomimetic microenvironment with the incorporation of nano-hydroxyapatite/laponite. Ultimately, the injectable composite hydrogel successfully stimulated bone regeneration within a cranial defect in a rat model after 8 weeks, with enhanced vascularization and bone quality. The engineered hydrogel provides a minimally invasive approach to stimulate bone regeneration with a sustained oxygen supply and osteogenic microenvironment provision, underlining its potential for treating critical bone defects.

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