Engineering macromolecular crowding-driven amyloid-mineral hybrid scaffolds for enhanced bone regeneration.

ABSTRACT: The extracellular matrix (ECM) of native bone features a densely crowded, hierarchically organized architecture composed of collagen fibrils and hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanocrystals, which together confer mechanical strength and biological functionality. However, faithfully replicating this complex organic-inorganic interface in synthetic scaffolds remains a significant challenge. Here, we report a macromolecular crowding (MMC)-driven strategy to construct ECM-mimetic scaffolds using phase-transited lysozyme (PTL) as an amyloid-based protein matrix. By employing a reverse dialysis process to mimic the crowded microenvironment, amyloid proteins undergo aggregation, conformational rearrangement, and a liquid-crystalline-like phase transition, accompanied by reconstruction of the organic-inorgan

SUBMITTER: Ye Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12743378 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature