Preparation of microfluidic-based pectin microparticles loaded carbon dots conjugated with BMP-2 embedded in gelatin-elastin-hyaluronic acid hydrogel scaffold for bone tissue engineering application

The controlled delivery of the bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) with tracking ability would overcome most of the side effects linked to the burst release and uncontrolled delivery of this growth factor for bone regener-ation. Herein, BMP-2-conjugated carbon dots (CDs) was used as noninvasive detection platforms to deliver BMP-2 for therapeutic applications where osteogenesis and bioimaging are both required. With this in mind, the present work aimed to develop a controlled BMP-2-CDs release system using composite scaffolds containing BMP-2-CDs loaded pectin microparticles, which had been optimized for bone regeneration. By using microfluidic approach, we encapsulated BMP-2-CDs in pectin microparticles with narrow size distribution and then incor-porated into composite scaffolds composed of gelatin, elastin, and hyaluronic acid. The BMP-2-CDs was released from the composite scaffolds in a sustained fashion for up to 21 days exhibited a high controlled delivery ca-pacity. When tested in vitro with MG-63 cells, these extraction mediums showed the intercellular uptake of BMP-2-CDs and enhanced biological properties and pro-osteogenic effect. By utilizing the pectin microparticles car-rying BMP-2-CDs as promising bioimaging agents for growth factor delivery and by tuning the composition of the scaffolds, this platform has immense potential in the field of bone tissue regeneration.

Automated summary

The study developed a controlled BMP-2-CDs release system by encapsulating BMP-2-CDs in pectin microparticles using a microfluidic approach, and incorporating them into composite scaffolds made of gelatin, elastin, and hyaluronic acid. The system demonstrated a high controlled delivery capacity for bone regeneration and has promising potential in the field.