A combination approach to engineering bone regeneration: Biomineral presentation and induced angiogenesis

Describes an approach to engineer bone regeneration by simultaneously directing growth of bone tissue and vascular tissue. Macroporous scaffolds composed of biomineralized 85:15 poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG) were loaded with vascular endothelial growth factor-165 (VEGF), a potent stimulator of rapid angiogenesis, for sustained release. The presence of a biomineral substrate, similar in structure and composition to bone mineral, led to increased infiltration of bone forming cells and significantly enhanced regeneration of osteoid matrix and mineralized tissue within a rat cranium critical defect. In addition, sustained release of VEGF from mineralized scaffolds induced rapid ingrowth of blood vessels and an ultimate increase in regeneration of mineralized tissue. These results support the concept of therapeutic angiogenesis in tissue engineering strategies. Similar approaches combining an extracellular matrix cue with an inductive soluble signal may find utility in engineering of other tissue types by more closely mimicking in vivo signaling environments.