Egg-White-/Eggshell-Based Biomimetic Hybrid Hydrogels for Bone Regeneration

Abstract

Designing biomimetic scaffolds that can provide an appropriate microenvironment in bone defects to accelerate bone regeneration may become the breach of bone tissue engineering. Herein, we present simple egg white (EW)-/eggshell (ES)-based biomimetic hybrid hydrogels to investigate their potential for promoted bone regeneration. The photopolymerized biomimetic hybrid hydrogels possessed porous structures, which may support cell growth. Remarkably, the addition of eggshells could benefit mechanical performance with good cytocompatibility. Moreover, biomimetic hybrid hydrogels could have effects on macrophages and regulate the osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells, indicating their potential for enhanced bone regeneration. All of the results suggested that biomimetic hybrid scaffolds possess a promising prospect in bone tissue engineering with good bioactivity and low cost.