Three-dimensional (3D) printing-assisted freeze-casting of processed pyritum-doped β-tricalcium phosphate biomimetic scaffold with angiogenesis and bone regeneration capability.

Chenxu WEI; Zongan LI; Xiaoyun LIANG; Yuwei ZHAO; Xingyu ZHU; Haibing HUA; Guobao CHEN; Kunming QIN; Zhipeng CHEN; Changcan SHI; Feng ZHANG; Weidong LI

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Three-dimensional (3D) printing-assisted freeze-casting of processed pyritum-doped β-tricalcium phosphate biomimetic scaffold with angiogenesis and bone regeneration capability.

Author: Chenxu WEI ¹ ; Zongan LI ² ; Xiaoyun LIANG ³ ; Yuwei ZHAO ¹ ; Xingyu ZHU ¹ ; Haibing HUA ⁴ ; Guobao CHEN ⁴ ; Kunming QIN ⁵ ; Zhipeng CHEN ¹ ; Changcan SHI ⁶ ; Feng ZHANG ⁷ ; Weidong LI ⁸
Author Information

1. School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China.
2. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of 3D Printing Equipment and Manufacturing, School of Electrical and Automation Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China.
3. School of Pharmacy, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, China.
4. Jiangyin Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Jiangyin 214400, China.
5. School of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China.
6. School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China. cshi@njucm.edu.cn.
7. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of 3D Printing Equipment and Manufacturing, School of Electrical and Automation Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China. cshi@njucm.edu.cn, fengzhan@njnu.edu.cn.
8. School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China. cshi@njucm.edu.cn, liweidong0801@njucm.edu.cn.
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: Angiogenesis; Bone defect; Bone regeneration; Processed pyritum; Three-dimensional (3D) printing-assisted freeze-casting; VEGF-Notch1-BMP-2-OPN coupling
MeSH: Calcium Phosphates/chemistry*; Animals; Bone Regeneration; Rabbits; Tissue Scaffolds; Printing, Three-Dimensional; Humans; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells; Neovascularization, Physiologic; Osteogenesis; Tissue Engineering/methods*; Biomimetic Materials; Cell Proliferation; Angiogenesis
From: Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B 2025;26(9):863-880
CountryChina
Language:English
Abstract: Bone repair remains an important target in tissue engineering, making the development of bioactive scaffolds for effective bone defect repair a critical objective. In this study, β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) scaffolds incorporated with processed pyritum decoction (PPD) were fabricated using three-dimensional (3D) printing-assisted freeze-casting. The produced composite scaffolds were evaluated for their mechanical strength, physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, in vitro pro-angiogenic activity, and in vivo efficacy in repairing rabbit femoral defects. They not only demonstrated excellent physicochemical properties, enhanced mechanical strength, and good biosafety but also significantly promoted the proliferation, migration, and aggregation of pro-angiogenic human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). In vivo studies revealed that all scaffold groups facilitated osteogenesis at the bone defect site, with the β-TCP scaffolds loaded with PPD markedly enhancing the expression of neurogenic locus Notch homolog protein 1 (Notch1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), and osteopontin (OPN). Overall, the scaffolds developed in this study exhibited strong angiogenic and osteogenic capabilities both in vitro and in vivo. The incorporation of PPD notably promoted the angiogenic-osteogenic coupling, thereby accelerating bone repair, which suggests that PPD is a promising material for bone repair and that the PPD/β-TCP scaffolds hold great potential as a bone graft alternative.