Metabolic regulation by biomaterials in osteoblast

The repair of bone defects resulting from high-energy trauma, infection, or pathological fracture remains a challenge in the field of medicine. The development of biomaterials involved in the metabolic regulation provides a promising solution to this problem and has emerged as a prominent research area in regenerative engineering. While recent research on cell metabolism has advanced our knowledge of metabolic regulation in bone regeneration, the extent to which materials affect intracellular metabolic remains unclear. This review provides a detailed discussion of the mechanisms of bone regeneration, an overview of metabolic regulation in bone regeneration in osteoblasts and biomaterials involved in the metabolic regulation for bone regeneration. Furthermore, it introduces how materials, such as promoting favorable physicochemical characteristics (e.g., bioactivity, appropriate porosity, and superior mechanical properties), incorporating external stimuli (e.g., photothermal, electrical, and magnetic stimulation), and delivering metabolic regulators (e.g., metal ions, bioactive molecules like drugs and peptides, and regulatory metabolites such as alpha ketoglutarate), can affect cell metabolism and lead to changes of cell state. Considering the growing interests in cell metabolic regulation, advanced materials have the potential to help a larger population in overcoming bone defects.