Abstract
Hard tissues, e.g., bone, are mechanically stiff and, most typically, mineralized. To design scaffolds for hard tissue regeneration, mechanical, physico-chemical and biological cues must align with those found in the natural tissue. Combining these aspects poses challenges for material and construct design. Silk-based materials are promising for bone tissue regeneration as they fulfill several of such necessary requirements, and they are non-toxic and biodegradable. They can be processed into a variety of morphologies such as hydrogels, particles and fibers and can be mineralized. Therefore, silk-based materials are versatile candidates for biomedical applications in the field of hard tissue engineering. This review summarizes silk-based approaches for mineralized tissue replacements, and how to find the balance between sufficient material stiffness upon mineralization and cell survival upon attachment as well as nutrient supply.
Highlights
The development of hard tissue in the human body is a process of mineral formation by cellular metabolism, named biomineralization, yielding support structures of the skeleton and neighboring tissues such as tendon and cartilage or functional tissues such as teeth [1]
Approaches for hard tissue engineering, with the focus on bone, and some examples including teeth, cartilage and tendon, based on silk scaffolds are discussed in detail
After diagnosis of a bone defect, the respective site is commonly deprived from extensive movement as both bone sides need to reconnect during regeneration in a correct manner, otherwise malfunction might be the result of improper healing
Summary
The development of hard tissue in the human body is a process of mineral formation by cellular metabolism, named biomineralization, yielding support structures of the skeleton and neighboring tissues such as tendon and cartilage or functional tissues such as teeth [1]. The phosphorylated, noncollagenous proteins of the so-called SIBLING family (Small Integrin-Binding Ligand, N-Linked Glycoprotein) include bone sialoprotein and osteopontin in bone-related tissues, whereas in teeth dentin and cementum, dentin matrix protein 1 and dentin phosphoryn are present These proteins provide two functions, as on the one hand, they can bind at specific locations to the structural collagen scaffold and on the other hand, they can bind ions due to their, in most cases, highly charged nature with repetitive motifs of glutamic or aspartic acid residues [5]. Approaches for hard tissue engineering, with the focus on bone, and some examples including teeth, cartilage and tendon, based on silk scaffolds are discussed in detail
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