Intrafibrillar mineralized collagen-based scaffolds for bone repair

Statement of Purpose: As one of the major concerns in the field of tissue engineering, skeletal defect has attracted wild attention. Collagen, the most abundant protein, and hydroxyapatite, the main component in natural bone, are usually used as a biomimetic composite material in many biomedical applications due to its excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. Extensive research has been conducted on the fabrication of both intrafibrillar and extrafibrillar mineralized collagen-hydroxyapatite (Col-HA) scaffolds resembling the composition and structure of natural bone from the nano-to the macro-scale to accelerate bone repair [1,2]. However, poor osteoinductive properties of these materials have greatly limited them from conducting efficient bone repair. To improve the osteogenic capacity of Col-HA scaffolds, Fe and Mn, two essential elements of bone, were incorporated into the system in this study and detailed characterizations as well as in vitro and in vivo evaluations were performed.