Enhancing osteoinduction: Collagen biogel enriched with piezoelectric barium titanate nanoparticles

Collagen has been widely used for graft production and functionalized with various nanomaterials to impart chemical, physical, and bioactive properties that mimic natural bone characteristics, including the ability to generate of electrical charges. Barium titanate nanoparticles (BTNP) are particularly promising due to their piezoelectric properties. In this study, we evaluated the osteoinducing capacity of BTNP and developed an osteomimetic biocomposite composed of collagen and BTNP. This biocomposite exhibited remarkable mechanical resistance at both macro and nanoscale levels, with increased stiffness demonstrated through compression testing and force spectroscopy analyses. In vitro cytocompatibility assays confirmed its compatibility with primary osteoblasts, showing enhanced proliferation rates as measured by the BrDU assay. Additionally, it displayed osteogenic activity, evidenced by increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and elevated gene expression levels of key osteoblastic maturation markers, including Bglap, Bmp2, Alpl, and Runx2. The biocomposite enhanced bone regeneration in adult Wistar rats, promoting the formation of new bone and increasing the deposition of type I collagen within the bone defect. These findings suggested that this biocomposite could provide a promising approach to regenerative medicine, offering an effective strategy for bone tissue repair and regeneration solution.