Zhang Shuyan, Huang Lei, Chen Weisin, Chen Qi, Liu Xin, Su Dihan, Xiao Lan, Zhou Dong, Zhang Jian, Jiang Libo, Li Yulin
The State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering and Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
Acta Biomater. 2025 Mar 15;195:117-133. doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2025.02.016. Epub 2025 Feb 7.
Large bone defect healing remains a challenge in current clinical treatment, which suggests the need for functional bone repair materials. Piezoelectric materials can generate electrical stimulation under mechanical stress to improve the tissue healing environment, which are emerging candidates for tissue engineering. We created a self-powered piezoelectric hydrogel by simply blending the zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles and regenerating silk fibroin (RSF). Our piezoelectric hydrogel showed controllable and suitable mechanical and piezoelectric properties which could generate electrical stimulation to promote bone tissue healing. Incorporating ZnO into RSF hydrogels not only enhanced their mechanical properties by 1.7 times and increased piezoelectric output by 2.8 times, but also mitigated the degradation rate. In vitro experiments showed that piezoelectric hydrogels significantly promoted osteogenesis differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and enhanced vascular network reconstitution. In vivo experiments verified the osteogenic and angiogenic potential of ZnO/RSF piezoelectric hydrogels. ZnO/RSF piezoelectric hydrogel, a simple but universal strategy of RSF-based material to generate electric currents by body movement, provides novel insights into the applications of piezoelectric hydrogel. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: ZnO/RSF hydrogels with stable piezoelectric properties were prepared by doping ZnO, which can generate stable and continuous electrical signals under pressure. After implantation into the bone defect site, it can promote the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and improve the vasculogenic ability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells, thus promoting the healing of bone tissue.
在当前临床治疗中，大骨缺损的愈合仍然是一项挑战，这表明需要功能性骨修复材料。压电材料可在机械应力作用下产生电刺激，以改善组织愈合环境，是组织工程领域新兴的备选材料。我们通过简单混合氧化锌（ZnO）纳米颗粒和再生丝素蛋白（RSF）制备了一种自供电压电水凝胶。我们的压电水凝胶展现出可控且合适的机械和压电性能，能够产生电刺激以促进骨组织愈合。将ZnO掺入RSF水凝胶中，不仅使其机械性能提高了1.7倍，压电输出增加了2.8倍，还降低了降解速率。体外实验表明，压电水凝胶显著促进了骨髓间充质干细胞（BMSC）的成骨分化，并增强了血管网络重建。体内实验验证了ZnO/RSF压电水凝胶的成骨和血管生成潜力。ZnO/RSF压电水凝胶是一种基于RSF材料通过身体运动产生电流的简单通用策略，为压电水凝胶的应用提供了新见解。重要意义声明：通过掺杂ZnO制备了具有稳定压电性能的ZnO/RSF水凝胶，其在压力作用下可产生稳定且持续的电信号。植入骨缺损部位后，它能促进骨髓间充质干细胞的成骨分化，提高人脐静脉内皮细胞的血管生成能力，从而促进骨组织愈合。
