Innovative Biomaterials and Advanced Techniques for Bone Regeneration Applications

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomedical Engineering and Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2025) | Viewed by 3739

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Guest Editor
Department of Architecture and Industrial Design, Università della Campania, Luigi Vanvitelli, 81031 Aversa, Italy
Interests: smart biomaterials for tissue engineering; ceramo-polymeric hybrid systems; hybrid smart structures; new theoretical approaches for biomimetic material and prostheses
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bone regeneration is crucial in various surgical fields, such as neurosurgery, orthopaedics, traumatology, and orofacial surgery. Repairing critical-size bone defects poses a significant clinical challenge in implant surgery, where highly biologically demanding scenarios, such as in osteogenesis and angiogenesis, solely rely on the basal bone without any bony envelope. Due to their basic structural functions, the evolutionary path of skeletal bones’ morphology and microstructure has been necessarily strongly driven by biomechanical and biochemical features, either at macro or micro scales. Physical factors, such as oxygen and nutrient concentration, as well as mechanical stimuli, mediating cellular communication, are altered when using traditional monolithic implants. A more “biomimetic design” accounting for biomechanical as well mechanobiological needs is therefore required.

The potentialities of new additive manufacturing technologies using metallic, ceramic, and polymeric materials could foster innovative solutions for porous bone scaffolds and implants that are able to restore the correct biomechanics and local biological environment of skeletal bone. Contributions accounting for new materials, bone biomechanics and mechanobiology, new 3D-printed solutions, and clinical cases outlining the criticalities of traditional implant osteointegration and functional recovery are welcomed to create a basis for new biomimetic approaches to implantology.

Prof. Dr. Antonio Apicella
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • biomaterials
  • bone regeneration
  • osteointegration
  • 3D printing
  • biomimetic design

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 1664 KB  
Article
Comparative Molecular Docking, Molecular Dynamics and Adsorption–Release Analysis of Calcium Fructoborate and Alendronate Salts on Hydroxyapatite and Hydroxyapatite–Titanium Implants
by Diana-Maria Trasca, Ion Dorin Pluta, Carmen Sirbulet, Renata Maria Varut, Cristina Elena Singer, Denisa Preoteasa and George Alin Stoica
Biomedicines 2026, 14(1), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14010044 - 24 Dec 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1050
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Hydroxyapatite (HAp)-based implants and HAp–titanium (HApTi) composites are widely used in orthopedic and dental applications, but their long-term success is limited by peri-implant bone loss. Local delivery of osteoactive molecules from implant surfaces may enhance osseointegration and reduce periprosthetic osteolysis. This study [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Hydroxyapatite (HAp)-based implants and HAp–titanium (HApTi) composites are widely used in orthopedic and dental applications, but their long-term success is limited by peri-implant bone loss. Local delivery of osteoactive molecules from implant surfaces may enhance osseointegration and reduce periprosthetic osteolysis. This study combined in silico modeling and experimental assays to compare calcium fructoborate (CaFb), sodium alendronate, and calcium alendronate as functionalization agents for HAp and HApTi implants. Methods: Molecular docking (AutoDock 4.2.6) and 100 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations (AMBER14 force field, SPC water model) were performed to characterize ligand–substrate interactions and to calculate binding free energies (ΔG_binding) and root mean square deviation (RMSD) values for ligand–HAp/HApTi complexes. HAp and HApTi discs obtained by powder metallurgy were subsequently functionalized by surface adsorption with CaFb or alendronate salts. The amount of adsorbed ligand was determined gravimetrically, and in vitro release profiles were quantified by HPTLC–MS for CaFb and by HPLC after FMOC derivatization for alendronates. Results: CaFb–HAp and CaFb–HApTi complexes showed the lowest binding free energies (−1.31 and −1.63 kcal/mol, respectively), indicating spontaneous and stable interactions. For HAp-based complexes, the mean ligand RMSD values over 100 ns were 0.27 ± 0.17 nm for sodium alendronate, 0.72 ± 0.28 nm for calcium alendronate (range 0.35–1.10 nm), and 0.21 ± 0.19 nm for CaFb (range 0.15–0.40 nm). For HApTi-based complexes, the corresponding RMSD values were 0.30 ± 0.15 nm for sodium alendronate, 0.72 ± 0.38 nm for calcium alendronate and 0.26 ± 0.14 nm for CaFb. These distributions indicate that CaFb and sodium alendronate maintain relatively stable binding poses, whereas calcium alendronate shows larger conformational fluctuations, consistent with its less favorable binding energies. Experimentally, CaFb exhibited the greatest chemisorbed amount and percentage on both HAp and HApTi, followed by sodium and calcium alendronate. HApTi supported higher loadings than HAp for all ligands. Release studies demonstrated a pronounced burst and rapid plateau for both alendronate salts, whereas CaFb displayed a slower initial release followed by a prolonged, quasi-linear liberation over 14 days. Conclusions: The convergence between in silico and adsorption–release data highlights CaFb as the most promising candidate among the tested ligands for long-term functionalization of HAp and HApTi surfaces. Its stronger and more stable binding, higher loading capacity and more sustained release profile suggest that CaFb-coated HApTi implants may provide a favorable basis for future in vitro and in vivo studies aimed at improving osseointegration and mitigating periprosthetic osteolysis, although direct evidence for osteolysis prevention was not obtained in the present work. Full article
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14 pages, 2956 KB  
Article
Long-Term Results of Autologous Tooth Bone Grafting in Alveolar Cleft Reconstruction: A Retrospective Cohort Study
by Tamás Würsching, Bence Mészáros, Eleonóra Sólyom, Bálint Molnár, Sándor Bogdán, Zsolt Németh and Krisztián Nagy
Biomedicines 2025, 13(7), 1735; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13071735 - 16 Jul 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2271
Abstract
Background/Objectives: During alveolar cleft grafting, the use of autogenous cancellous bone harvested from the iliac crest is still considered the gold standard. Due to the risk of donor-site morbidity and excessive graft resorption, alternative grafting materials (e.g., intraoral bone, xenografts) are being [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: During alveolar cleft grafting, the use of autogenous cancellous bone harvested from the iliac crest is still considered the gold standard. Due to the risk of donor-site morbidity and excessive graft resorption, alternative grafting materials (e.g., intraoral bone, xenografts) are being tested. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of using an autologous tooth-derived graft material and iliac crest cancellous bone in the reconstruction of the alveolar cleft in patients with a unilateral cleft lip and palate. Methods: A total of 21 patients with a unilateral cleft lip and palate, who underwent alveolar bone grafting between 2020 and 2023 were included in the study. In 11 cases, the donor site was the iliac crest; in the rest of the cases, deciduous teeth were harvested, processed, and used as an autologous particulate graft material for alveolar reconstruction. The mean follow-up time was 30.0 months, CBCT scans were taken, and the results were compared based on the ranking system published by Stasiak et al. Results: The Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed that the amount of bone on the cleft side was significantly less than that on the contralateral non-cleft side (ATB: p = 0.002, iliac crest: p = 0.005). The Mann–Whitney U test showed that there were no significant differences in bone quantity on the cleft side between the two groups (U = 47.5, p = 0.617). Conclusions: The use of ATB might be a feasible alternative to autologous bone during alveolar cleft reconstruction. This type of graft shows long-term stability, which is comparable to the bone harvested from the iliac crest. Full article
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