Neufurth Meik, Molter David, La Xiaoqin, Wu Changxin, Ushijima Hiroshi, Schröder Heinz C, Wang Xiaohong, Müller Werner E G
ERC Advanced Investigator Grant Research Group at the Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, the Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education of China, Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Cell Biology of Shanxi Province, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, People's Republic of China.
Biomed Mater. 2025 Oct 3;20(6). doi: 10.1088/1748-605X/ae084b.
-Tricalcium phosphate (-TCP) is widely used as a material for bone implants due to its excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and osteoconductivity, as well as its osteoinductive properties. Here, we demonstrate that the regenerative potential of this material can be significantly enhanced when incorporated into a matrix of inorganic polyphosphate (polyP), a physiological, metabolically active polymer composed of phosphate residues linked by high-energy phosphoanhydride bonds. A 3D-printable hydrogel was developed containing suspended-TCP and amorphous calcium-polyP nanoparticles (Ca-polyP-NP; the water-insoluble depot form of polyP), as well as NaHPOas the monomeric precursor of the polymeric, water-soluble Na-polyP. Heating the printed scaffold to 700 °C causes condensation of NaHPO, resulting in the formation of a Na-polyP glass melt that embeds the Ca-polyP-NP and-TCP particles. The final scaffolds exhibited the necessary porosity, with pore sizes ranging from 10 to 100 µm (average 84 µm), which are suitable for bone ingrowth, along with the required mechanical stability. The morphogenetically active polyP component is released from the 3D-printed porous scaffolds in appropriate amounts, significantly increasing both the proliferation and energy-dependent differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into mineralizing osteoblasts compared to polyP-free-TCP scaffolds. Moreover, enhanced formation of collagen fibers and hydroxyapatite deposits on the cell surface, as well as accelerated microvessel tube formation, were observed in MSCs seeded on polyP-containing scaffolds. These results d`emonstrate that the novel strategy of integrating-TCP with polyP as an energy-supplying, regeneration-promoting component imparts superior functional properties to-TCP scaffolds, making them a promising material for future bone implant applications.
磷酸三钙（β-TCP）因其优异的生物相容性、生物降解性、骨传导性以及骨诱导特性，被广泛用作骨植入材料。在此，我们证明，当将这种材料掺入无机多聚磷酸盐（polyP）基质中时，其再生潜力可显著增强。无机多聚磷酸盐是一种生理性、具有代谢活性的聚合物，由通过高能磷酸酐键连接的磷酸残基组成。我们开发了一种可3D打印的水凝胶，其中含有悬浮的β-TCP和无定形钙-多聚磷酸盐纳米颗粒（Ca-polyP-NP；多聚磷酸盐的水不溶性储存形式），以及作为聚合的水溶性Na-多聚磷酸盐单体前体的NaHPO₄。将打印好的支架加热到700℃会使NaHPO₄缩合，从而形成一种嵌入Ca-polyP-NP和β-TCP颗粒的Na-多聚磷酸盐玻璃熔体。最终的支架具有必要的孔隙率，孔径范围为10至100μm（平均84μm），适合骨长入，同时具备所需的机械稳定性。形态发生活性多聚磷酸盐成分从3D打印的多孔支架中以适当的量释放出来，与不含多聚磷酸盐的β-TCP支架相比，显著增加了间充质干细胞（MSC）向矿化成骨细胞的增殖和能量依赖性分化。此外，在接种于含多聚磷酸盐支架上的MSC中，观察到细胞表面胶原纤维和羟基磷灰石沉积物的形成增强，以及微血管管形成加速。这些结果表明，将β-TCP与多聚磷酸盐作为能量供应、促进再生的成分相结合的新策略赋予了β-TCP支架卓越的功能特性，使其成为未来骨植入应用的一种有前景的材料。
