Tissue-Engineered Bone Functionalized with MoS2 Nanosheets for Enhanced Repair of Critical-Size Bone Defect in Rats

Tissue-engineered bones have therapeutic potential for critical-size bone defects; however, the production of high quantities of the tissue-engineered bones with osteo-induction ability remains a huge challenge. Hyperthermia has been shown to up-regulate the expression of osteogenesis-related proteins to efficiently to promote bone regeneration. In this study, the authors develop a novel photothermal tissueengineered bone (PTEB) with osteo-induction ability and a biomimetic cellular environment. PTEB is generated by seeding rat bone mesenchymal stem cells (rBMMSCs) in the photothermal MoS 2 -biotin-garose-gelatin scaffold, and then overlaying the scaffold using osteo-induction extracellular matrix (OiECM). The rBMMSCs act as seeding cells, while OiECM provide a biomimetic microenvironment for repairing critical-sized cranial defects in rats. The results show that the PTEB exhibit high biocompatibility and osteo-induction ability under near-infrared (NIR) radiation. Results of in vitro experiments show that PTEB under NIR radiation promote proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of rBMMSCs. Furthermore, the PTEB implantation under NIR radiation significantly induces regeneration of bone in critical-size bone defects in rats 12 weeks after implantation. These findings indicate that PTEB has great potential in regenerative medicine and may represent an effective replacement for autografts used commonly in bone tissue engineering.