Repair of rat calvarial defects using Si-doped hydroxyapatite scaffolds loaded with a bone morphogenetic protein-2-related peptide.

Tissue engineering promises therapies ideal for treating conventional large bone injuries and defects. In the present study, we developed a novel Si-HA scaffold loaded with a synthetic BMP-2-related peptide, P28, and tested its ability to repair a critical-sized calvarial defect. We created a calvarial defect (5 mm in diameter) in the parietal bone of 32 rats and implanted one of the following biomaterials: No implant (control), Si-HA, P28/Si-HA, or rhBMP-2/Si-HA. As assessed by micro CT imaging and histological evaluations, the P28/Si-HA scaffold promoted bone recovery to a similar degree as the rhBMP-2/Si-HA scaffold. In addition, both P28/Si-HA and rhBMP-2/Si-HA promoted recovery better than Si-HA alone. The novel P28/Si-HA scaffold might represent a promising biomaterial for future bone tissue engineering applications.