Directional Mushroom-Derived Scaffold for Microenvironment Regulation in Infected Bone Defects

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Orthopedic Surgery

Background:

• Infected bone defects present significant clinical challenges, often leading to antibiotic resistance and nonunion.
• Conventional treatments for infected bone defects have limitations in efficacy and addressing complications.
• Developing advanced biomaterials is crucial for improving outcomes in bone defect repair.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a functionalized decellularized mushroom stem scaffold for treating infected bone defects.
• To assess the scaffold's ability to combat bacterial infections and promote bone regeneration.
• To investigate the scaffold's effects on cell migration, macrophage polarization, and osteogenic differentiation.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a functionalized scaffold using decellularized mushroom stems, Zn2+/curcumin MOFs, hydroxyapatite, and icariin.
• In vitro assessment of antibacterial activity, BMSCs migration, M2 macrophage polarization, and osteogenic differentiation.
• In vivo evaluation of bacterial clearance, extracellular matrix deposition, and new bone formation in infected bone defects.

Main Results:

• The scaffold demonstrated effective control of bacterial infections in vitro via Zn2+/curcumin MOFs.
• Naturally aligned channels and adsorbed components promoted bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) migration.
• The scaffold accelerated M2 macrophage polarization and osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs.
• In vivo studies showed rapid bacterial clearance (3 days) and significant new bone formation (8 weeks).

Conclusions:

• The functionalized decellularized mushroom stem scaffold is a promising strategy for treating infected bone defects.
• The scaffold effectively addresses bacterial infections and enhances bone regeneration.
• This biomaterial holds potential for improving clinical outcomes in orthopedic infections and nonunion cases.