Self-assembled hybrid hydrogel microspheres create a bone marrow-mimicking niche for bone regeneration.

ABSTRACT: Bone marrow (BM), a natural niche rich in growth factors and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), provides an optimal regenerative microenvironment and is widely used in clinical applications. However, the limited proliferative capacity of BMSCs and the mismatch between bone regeneration and growth factors release constrain their effectiveness in treating critical bone defects. Drawing inspiration from the regenerative properties of BM, we developed self-assembled hybrid microspheres to replicate its function and address these challenges through a tissue engineering approach. This BM-mimicking niche enriched BMSCs via fast-degrading gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) microspheres, which were loaded with exogenous BMSCs and conjugated with stem cell homing peptides (SKP) to recruit endogen

SUBMITTER: He Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12391700 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature