A Universal Metal-Flavonoid Coating Strategy: Engineering Biomaterials for Diabetic Bone Regeneration.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Metabolic Disorders

Background:

• Diabetes compromises bone regeneration via oxidative stress, impaired osteogenesis, and dysregulated angiogenesis.
• Conventional bone repair materials are ineffective in the diabetic microenvironment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a metal-flavonoid coating strategy for bone repair materials to address challenges in diabetic bone regeneration.
• To investigate the efficacy of copper-quercetin (CQ) coating in modulating the diabetic bone microenvironment and promoting healing.

Main Methods:

• A one-pot approach was used to create metal-flavonoid coatings on conventional bone repair materials.
• Copper-quercetin (CQ) coating was optimized and applied to β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP).
• In vitro and in vivo studies (diabetic rats) were conducted to evaluate the coating's effects on oxidative stress, osteogenesis, and angiogenesis.

Main Results:

• CQ coating demonstrated potent antioxidative, osteoinductive, and pro-angiogenic properties under high-glucose conditions.
• CQ-coated β-TCP (β-TCP@CQ) significantly ameliorated oxidative stress, restored osteogenesis, and rescued angiogenesis in vitro.
• β-TCP@CQ accelerated bone healing by 1.68-fold in diabetic rats compared to controls.
• CQ coating activated specific molecular pathways (ATP7A/SOD3/FLT1 and PI3K-Akt) to restore copper homeostasis and enhance osteogenic differentiation.

Conclusions:

• The metal-flavonoid coating strategy, particularly CQ, effectively functionalizes conventional bone repair materials for diabetic bone regeneration.
• CQ coating shows broad versatility across various biomaterial compositions and structures.
• This approach provides a scalable and mechanistically-grounded platform for enhancing bone healing in complex pathological contexts like diabetes.