Eggshell Membrane as a Bioactive Agent in Polymeric Nanotopographic
Scaffolds for Enhanced Bone Regeneration
Abstract
A bone regeneration scaffold is typically designed as a platform to
effectively heal a bone defect while preventing soft tissue
infiltration. Despite the wide variety of scaffold materials currently
available, such as collagen, critical problems in achieving bone
regeneration remain, including a rapid absorption period and low tensile
strength as well as high costs. Inspired by extracellular matrix protein
and topographical cues, we developed a polycaprolactone-based scaffold
for bone regeneration using a soluble eggshell membrane protein (SEP)
coating and a nanotopography structure for enhancing the physical
properties and bioactivity. The scaffold exhibited adequate flexibility
and mechanical strength as a biomedical platform for bone regeneration.
The highly aligned nanostructures and SEP coating were found to regulate
and enhance cell morphology, adhesion, proliferation, and
differentiation in vitro. In a calvarial bone defect mouse model, the
scaffolds coated with SEP applied to the defect site promoted bone
regeneration along the direction of the nanotopography in vivo. These
findings demonstrate that bone-inspired nanostructures and SEP coatings
have high potential to be applicable in the design and manipulation of
scaffolds for bone regeneration.