Extrafibrillarly-demineralized Dentin Matrix for Bone Regeneration.

Dentin is a natural extracellular matrix, but its availability in bone grafting and tissue engineering applications has been underestimated due to a lack of proper treatment. In this study, the concept of extrafibrillar demineralization was introduced into the construction of dentin-derived biomaterials for bone regeneration for the first time. Calcium chelating agents with large molecular weights were used to selectively remove the extrafibrillar apatite minerals without disturbing the intrafibrillar minerals within dentin collagen, resulting in the formation of an extrafibrillarly-demineralized dentin matrix (EDM). EDM with distinctive nanotopography and bone-like mechanical properties was found to significantly promote cell adhesion, migration and osteogenic differentiation in vitro while enhancing in vivo bone healing of rat calvarial defects. The outstanding osteogenic performance of EDM was further confirmed to be related to the activation of the FA-cytoskeleton-nucleus mechanotransduction axis. Overall, this study shows that extrafibrillar demineralization of dentin has great potential to produce hierarchical collagen-based scaffolds for bone regeneration, and this facile top-down fabrication method brings about new ideas for the biomedical application of naturally derived bioactive materials. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.