Investigation of mechanism of bone regeneration in a porous biodegradable calcium phosphate (CaP) scaffold by a combination of a multi-scale agent-based model and experimental optimization/validation

Nanoscale. 2016 Aug 21;8(31):14877-87. doi: 10.1039/c6nr01637e. Epub 2016 Jul 27.

Abstract

Herein, we have developed a novel approach to investigate the mechanism of bone regeneration in a porous biodegradable calcium phosphate (CaP) scaffold by a combination of a multi-scale agent-based model, experimental optimization of key parameters and experimental data validation of the predictive power of the model. The advantages of this study are that the impact of mechanical stimulation on bone regeneration in a porous biodegradable CaP scaffold is considered, experimental design is used to investigate the optimal combination of growth factors loaded on the porous biodegradable CaP scaffold to promote bone regeneration and the training, testing and analysis of the model are carried out by using experimental data, a data-mining algorithm and related sensitivity analysis. The results reveal that mechanical stimulation has a great impact on bone regeneration in a porous biodegradable CaP scaffold and the optimal combination of growth factors that are encapsulated in nanospheres and loaded into porous biodegradable CaP scaffolds layer-by-layer can effectively promote bone regeneration. Furthermore, the model is robust and able to predict the development of bone regeneration under specified conditions.

MeSH terms

  • Bone Regeneration*
  • Calcium Phosphates*
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cell Movement
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Humans
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells / cytology*
  • Models, Biological
  • Osteoblasts / cytology*
  • Porosity
  • Tissue Engineering
  • Tissue Scaffolds*

Substances

  • Calcium Phosphates