Integrated Piezoelectric/Conductive Composite Cryogel Creates Electroactive Microenvironment for Enhanced Bone Regeneration.

Natural bone tissue possesses inherent electrophysiological characteristics, displaying conductivity and piezoelectricity simultaneously; hence, the reconstruction of local electrical microenvironment at defect site provides an effective strategy to enhance osteogenesis. Herein, a composite cryogel-type scaffold (referred to as Gel-PD-CMBT) was developed for bone regeneration, utilizing gelatin (Gel) in combination with a conductive poly(ethylene dioxythiophene)/polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) matrix and Ca/Mn co-doped barium titanate (CMBT) nanofibers as the piezoelectric filler. The incorporation of these components resulted in the formation of an integrated piezoelectric/conductive network within the scaffold, facilitating charge migration and yielding a conductivity of 0.59 S/cm. This conductive scaffold created a promising electroactive microenvironment, which is capable of up-regulating biological responses. Furthermore, the interconnected porous structure of the Gel-PD-CMBT scaffold not only provided mechanical stability but also offered ample space for cellular and tissue ingrowth. This Gel-PD-CMBT scaffold demonstrated a greater capacity to promote cellular osteogenic differentiation in vitro and neo-bone formation in vivo. In summary, the Gel-PD-CMBT scaffold, with its integrated piezoelectricity and conductivity, effectively restored the local electroactive microenvironment, offering an ideal platform for the regeneration of electrophysiological bone tissue. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.