Nanofiber scaffold for bone tissue engineering: Mechanism, challenge and future prospect

Abstract

Nanofiber scaffold has built a bionic microenvironment for bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by highly simulating the topological structure of natural extracellular matrix. Its ordered fiber network effectively guides the directional migration and spatial arrangement of cells through the mechanical signal transduction mediated by integrin. Surface functionalization can synergistically activate the osteogenic transcription network and significantly enhance the osteogenic differentiation potential of cells. The precise design of scaffold stiffness affects the cell fate choice by regulating the nuclear translocation of mechanical sensitive factors. This triple cooperative strategy of “physical topology-biochemical signal-mechanical microenvironment” effectively overcomes the biological inertia of traditional scaffolds and provides a dynamic and adjustable platform for bone defect repair. Looking forward to the future, breaking through the bottleneck of clinical transformation such as long-term intelligent slow release of functional factors and in situ efficient construction of vascular network is the key to promoting nanofiber scaffolds from basic research to precise bone regeneration treatment.