Abstract
Objectives: Electrospun scaffolds are a versatile biomaterial platform to mimic fibrillar structure of native tissues extracellular matrix, and facilitate the incorporation of biomo-lecules for regenerative therapies. Self-assembling peptide P11-4 has emerged as a pro-mising strategy to induce mineralization; however, P11-4 application has been mostly addressed for early caries lesions repair on dental enamel. Here, to investigate P11-4 ' s ef-ficacy on bone regeneration, polymeric electrospun scaffolds were developed, and then distinct concentrations of P11-4 were physically adsorbed on the scaffolds.Methods: P11-4-laden and pristine (P11-4-free) electrospun scaffolds were immersed in si-mulated body fluid and mineral precipitation identified by SEM. Functional groups and crystalline phases were analyzed by FTIR and XRD, respectively. Cytocompatibility, mi-neralization, and gene expression assays were conducted using stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth. To investigate P11-4-laden scaffolds potential to induce in vivo mineralization, an established rat calvaria critical-size defect model was used. Results. We successfully synthesized nanofibrous (similar to 500 nm fiber diameter) scaffolds and observed that functionalization with P11-4 did not affect the fibers' diameter. SEM images indicated mi-neral precipitation, while FTIR and XRD confirmed apatite-like formation and crystal-lization for P11-4-laden scaffolds. In addition, P11-4-laden scaffolds were cytocompatible, highly stimulated cell-mediated mineral deposition, and upregulated the expression of mineralization-related genes compared to pristine scaffolds. P11-4-laden scaffolds led to enhanced in vivo bone regeneration after 8 weeks compared to pristine PCL.Significance: Electrospun scaffolds functionalized with P11-4 are a promising strategy for inducing mineralized tissues regeneration in the craniomaxillofacial complex.(c) 2022 The Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.