Biomaterials Science最新文献

The development of biocompatible, biodegradable and mechanically robust materials for biomedical applications remains a major challenge. In this context, lignin has attracted increasing attention due to its abundant functional groups (hydroxyl and carboxyl), which enable it to act as an antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory agent. Furthermore, lignin is a naturally occurring biopolymer abundantly available from plants and biomass sources. These unique properties make lignin a potential candidate for various biomedical applications, including pharmaceutical and drug and gene delivery, wound healing, tissue engineering and scaffolds, and biosensors. Although several studies have explored the use of lignin in biomedical applications, there is still a lack of comprehensive reviews summarizing its applications across these domains. This review discusses the potential uses of lignin in biomedical applications, with a particular focus on recent advances. This review also provides a detailed overview of the various types and structures of lignin and their extraction processes, physicochemical properties, and biological activities. Moreover, it highlights the current state of the art in lignin-based technologies and outlines future perspectives for the development of lignin-based composites for biomedical applications.

Sarcopenia and muscle atrophy are major health challenges associated with aging and various pathologies, characterized by progressive loss of muscle mass and function. These conditions severely diminish patient quality of life and impose a significant healthcare burden. Traditional interventions, such as exercise therapy and nutritional supplementation, have demonstrated limited efficacy, creating an urgent need for innovative therapeutic strategies. In recent years, the application of nanotechnology in biomedicine has provided novel therapeutics for these debilitating conditions. This article reviews the latest advancements in nanotechnology for the treatment of sarcopenia and muscle atrophy, with a focus on the applications of nanocarrier drug delivery systems (such as exosomes and lipid nanoparticles), nanoimmunomodulators, wearable nanobiosensors, nano-tissue-engineered muscles, and gene editing tools based on nanotechnology (such as CRISPR-Cas9). These technologies demonstrate significant clinical potential by improving drug targeting, enhancing bioavailability, promoting muscle regeneration, and enabling real-time monitoring of disease progression. For instance, drug delivery systems based on lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have demonstrated approximately 30% higher bioavailability compared to traditional delivery systems in murine models, while the use of exosomes has also effectively promoted the repair and regeneration of muscle tissue in preclinical trials. However, the clinical translation of nanotechnology still faces several challenges. These include uncertainties regarding nanoparticle toxicity, immunogenicity, and clearance mechanisms, issues with the scalability and reproducibility of nanocarrier manufacturing, and ethical and regulatory concerns associated with the long-term use of gene editing and nanobiosensors. Consequently, future research should not only focus on further optimizing nanomaterial design and validating therapeutic efficacy but also address aspects such as biocompatibility, safety, ethical review, and regulatory policies. This comprehensive approach is essential to facilitate the clinical translation of nanotechnology for treating muscle degenerative diseases and to catalyze the development of personalized medicine.

Current strategies for treating bacterial infections primarily rely on antibiotics, with only limited follow-up monitoring to verify that all bacteria have been eradicated. This limitation has driven research toward the development of advanced biomaterials with dual capabilities of antibacterial activity and bacterial detection. Functionalized hydrogels, with their architecturally dynamic and stimulus-responsive frameworks, have emerged as fundamental materials in biomedicine and adaptive sensing. Herein, we report a cost-effective, one-step synthesis of an Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE)-active hydrogel through the covalent functionalization of chitosan (Ch) with 1-pyrenecarboxaldehyde (1-PCA), forming an injectable, self-healing biomaterial (ChPCA) with inherent luminescent properties through a heat-to-cool transition. The simplicity and affordability of this technique make it highly promising for future scalability and practical applications in advanced material development. Beyond structural characterization using FTIR, PXRD, TGA, FESEM, and contact angle analyses, density functional theory (DFT) calculations elucidate critical parameters for gel stability. Furthermore, the hydrogel shows potent antibacterial activity against S. aureus (Gram-positive) and E. coli (Gram-negative) bacterial strains without requiring additional antibiotics. This activity is attributed to its membrane-targeting mechanism, which is further confirmed through SEM analysis. The inherent AIE effect facilitates real-time bacterial detection, with preferential accumulation on microbial membranes leading to cell membrane disruption and intracellular penetration. This study introduces a versatile, antibiotic-free strategy for fighting against pathogenic bacterial strains, and it also provides a scalable framework for developing next-generation biomaterials with significant potential in both bacterial detection and therapeutic applications.

Although guided bone regeneration (GBR) membranes are frequently utilized in oral–maxillofacial surgery, there continues to be a demand for membranes that can concurrently facilitate epithelial sealing and bone regeneration. In this work, a multilayered polycaprolactone (PCL) film, incorporating a central dense barrier layer and leaf-stacked structure layers on both surfaces for cell/tissue adhesion and bioactive molecule loading (MFLSS), was produced via a heating–cooling method using tetraglycol. Platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) were incorporated into the porous leaf-stacked layers on each side to promote epithelial and bone tissue regeneration, respectively. The PDGF-BB and BMP-2 embedded in the leaf-stacked layers were released in a sustained manner at therapeutic concentrations for 15 and 17 days, respectively. In vitro and in vivo assays indicated that the PDGF-BB-loaded layer significantly improves cell/tissue adhesion as well as cell migration, while the BMP-2-immobilized layer effectively induces osteogenic differentiation and bone formation. Collectively, these findings indicate that the multifunctional film serves as a promising GBR membrane by consistently sealing the defect site and accelerating bone healing.

Correction for ‘Optimized synthesis of biphasic calcium phosphate: enhancing bone regeneration with a tailored β-tricalcium phosphate/hydroxyapatite ratio’ by Dieu Linh Tran et al., Biomater. Sci., 2025, 13, 969–979, https://doi.org/10.1039/D4BM01179A.

Polydopamine (pDA) has emerged as a benchmark material in bioinspired engineering, owing to its facile synthesis, strong adhesion, and chemical versatility. However, pDA is just one member of the broader polycatecholamine family, which includes poly-L-DOPA (pLD), polynorepinephrine (pNE), and polyepinephrine (pEP); each offering unique chemical functionalities and biological advantages. In this perspective, we critically assess the biomedical potential of these underexplored polymers, highlighting how their distinct physicochemical properties can expand current applications in surface modifications, coatings, biointerfaces, bioadhesives, biosensors, and carriers for drug delivery. Comparative analysis reveals that while pDA dominates the field, alternative polycatecholamines also exhibit equally attractive properties, such as enhanced hydrophilicity, biofunctionalization capacity, redox behaviour, and stimuli responsiveness. By broadening the focus beyond pDA, this work aims at catalysing future research on structurally diverse polycatecholamines as next-generation multifunctional biomaterials.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) still lacks effective treatment methods. The inflammatory storm after SCI is one of the critical obstacles to nerve repair. In this study, we aimed to address the critical challenge of the inflammatory storm after SCI—a key driver of exacerbated neural damage—by developing an innovative hydrogel scaffold functionalized with sustained-release pteryxin and encapsulated NSCs. This scaffold is designed to modulate the post-SCI inflammatory response, thereby mitigating inflammation-induced neural injury and enhancing neural repair. Briefly, we first synthesized and characterized a hyaluronic acid methacryloyl (HAMA) hydrogel. Subsequently, a 5% HAMA hydrogel and 10 μM pteryxin were used to prepare a pHAMA hydrogel (pteryxin-loaded HAMA). The pHAMA hydrogel possessed good biocompatibility and promoted the differentiation of NSCs towards neurons. Finally, the pHAMA hydrogel combined with NSCs could significantly enhance SCI repair and functional recovery by reducing the inflammatory responses, decreasing the infiltration of macrophages and microglia, and downregulating the expression of inflammation-related genes.

Trauma and diseases such as gangrene, diabetes mellitus, leprosy, or advanced-stage cancer requiring resections may lead to digit loss due to the limited capacity of tissue regeneration. The increasing global incidence of phalanx fractures necessitates surgical intervention for restoring organ function. Early mobilization post-surgery significantly improves the range of motion and overall functional outcomes, emphasizing the need for mechanically stable and biologically responsive solutions. In this study, a CT-derived, site-specific “personalized” phalanx reconstruction was fabricated using bioresorbable fibres by melt-extrusion printing. Scaffold architecture was optimized to provide partial mechanical stability, thus promoting early-stage soft-tissue integration and joint articulation. The composition of PCL–bioglass material was optimized as a bioactive template with biodegradability in vivo. Finite-element analysis (FEA) was employed to ensure efficient stress distribution, optimum deformation, and site-specific modulus matching. Physicochemical characterization, in vitro and in vivo biological assessment, especially site-specific implantation in a rabbit model, revealed the ability of the scaffold to accelerate bone remodelling. An AI-assisted mathematical model trained on micro-CT-derived experimental data was developed to predict the intermediate period of bone regeneration over three years, providing a next-generation solution for personalized implant-based treatment to restore skeletal tissue function.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe central nervous system (CNS) disorder caused by mechanical trauma, leading to primary injury characterized by irreversible neural damage and secondary injury involving cascades of neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, glial scar formation, and disruption of the blood–spinal cord barrier (BSCB), which collectively result in profound functional deficits. This review synthesizes recent progress (past five years) in nanomaterial-based strategies to address the multifaceted pathophysiology of SCI. Nanomaterials leverage their tunable size, surface functionalization, and multimodal properties to overcome the limitations of conventional therapies. Additionally, nanocarriers enable localized and sustained delivery of growth factors and antifibrotic agents, creating a permissive microenvironment for axonal regeneration. Hybrid systems, such as hydrogel–nanocomposite scaffolds, integrate multiple functions to address the sequential phases of SCI, from acute neuroprotection to chronic tissue remodeling. Despite challenges in translating preclinical findings from rodent models to humans and ensuring long-term biocompatibility, nanomaterials offer transformative potential by dynamically interacting with the injury microenvironment, paving the way for personalized, multimechanistic therapies to enhance neural repair and functional recovery after SCI.

Phenylboronic acid (PBA) and its ester derivates (PBE) are considered adaptable building blocks for smart biomaterials, enabling precision in therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Their reversible covalent interactions with cis-diols allow selective recognition of clinically relevant biomarkers including glucose, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and sialic acid (Sia). These properties have been exploited to engineer responsive systems for glucose-triggered insulin and glucagon delivery, ROS-mediated drug release in oxidative microenvironments, and Sia-targeted cancer therapies. Recent advances integrate PBA/PBE chemistries into multi-responsive platforms, closed-loop devices, and biosensors for real-time monitoring, making these materials key enablers of personalized treatment strategies. Here, we review design principles that govern binding specificity, summarize applications across a wide range of therapies, and discuss key challenges such as off-target interactions and physiological stability. Finally, we outline opportunities for clinical translation, positioning PBA/PBE-based materials as promising candidates for next generation precision medicines.