Although a demineralized bone matrix (DBM) is often used as an alternative to an autologous bone graft, its clinical application is still hampered by easy dispersion of DBM particles and insufficient osteoinductivity in the defect site. Herein, we designed a self-healing hydrogel for DBM that can rapidly restore its structural integrity after damage based on amino-rich black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets and aldehyde-functionalized hyaluronic acid (AHA). Given the increased expression of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) antagonists by DBM stimulation, the osteogenic potency of DBM in the hydrogel carrier was further enhanced by abrogating the BMP antagonism. The BP/AHA hydrogel provided dynamic polymer-nanosheet networks that combine injectability, modability, and physical stability with high DBM loading, where the BP nanosheets served as osteogenic cross-linkers to promote biomineralization and deliver siRNA to suppress undesirable expression of BMP antagonist noggin by DBM. As a result, the BP/AHA hydrogel integrated with DBM and noggin-targeting siRNA synergistically promoted osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells by enhancing BMP/Smad signaling. This work demonstrates a promising strategy to improve the efficacy of bone regeneration using bone graft.
Keywords: black phosphorus; demineralized bone matrix; hyaluronic acid; noggin; self-healing hydrogel.