3D‐Printed Bioceramic Scaffolds Reinforced by the In Situ Oriented Growth of Grains for Supercritical Bone Defect Reconstruction

• Published in: Advanced science 2025-01, Vol.12 (2), p.e2408459-n/a
• Main Authors: Zhang, Boqing, Wang, Kaixin, Gui, Xingyu, Wang, Wenzhao, Song, Ping, Wu, Lina, Guo, Likun, Zhou, Changchun, Fan, Yujiang, Zhang, Xingdong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; bioceramic; Biocompatible Materials - chemistry; Biological activity; Bone Regeneration - drug effects; Bone Regeneration - physiology; Calcium phosphates; Calcium Phosphates - chemistry; Ceramics; Ceramics - chemistry; Crack propagation; Disease Models, Animal; Fractures; grain growth regulation; mechanical enhancement; Mechanical properties; Morphology; Osteogenesis - drug effects; Osteogenesis - physiology; osteoinduction supercritical bone defect; Porosity; Potassium; Printing, Three-Dimensional; Sintering; Stress concentration; Stress-strain curves; Tissue Scaffolds - chemistry
• ISSN: 2198-3844; 2198-3844
• DOI: 10.1002/advs.202408459

Porous calcium phosphate ceramics have attracted widespread attention owing to their excellent bioactivity. However, their poor mechanical properties severely limit their clinical applications. Significantly improving the mechanical strength of porous CaP ceramics while maintaining their bioactivity remains a major challenge. To address this issue, calcium sulfate is used to regulate the directional growth of hydroxyapatite grains during ceramic sintering. The in situ oriented grains can not only alleviate the stress concentration but also strengthen the bonding force between the ceramic grain boundaries. Calcium sulfate improves the release of active calcium ions from calcium phosphate ceramics, further enhancing their bioactivity and osteoinductivity in vivo. Transcriptome and proteome sequencing reveals that the in situ whisker‐reinforced ceramics increase the expression of proteins related to calcium ion binding and promote the expression of osteogenesis‐related proteins. In the supercritical bone defect repair model, repair of the defect is achieved within 3 months, with mechanical recovery reaching more than 70% of the autologous bone. This study induced the in situ oriented grain growth of 3D‐printed porous calcium phosphate ceramic through calcium sulfate, resulting in a mechanically enhanced microstructure, which increased the compressive strength of the porous calcium phosphate ceramic by 5–10 times. Additionally, the release of active calcium ions is enhanced, further optimizing the bioactivity for regenerative repair of supercritical bone defects.