Nanostructured gel scaffolds for osteogenesis through biological assembly of biopolymers via specific nucleobase pairing.

Biopolymer-based gel scaffolds have great potential in the field of tissue regenerative medicine. In this work, a nanostructured biopolymer gel scaffold via specific pairing of functionalized nucleobases was developed for specifically targeted drug delivery and in vitro osteogenesis. The biopolymer gel system was established by the Watson-Crick base pairing between thymine and adenine via the hydrogen bonding. As gel scaffold precursors, opposite charged polysaccharide derivatives, e.g. quaternized cellulose and heparin, could be additionally crosslinked by extra electrostatic interactions. The potential application of this gel scaffold in bone tissue engineering was confirmed by encapsulation behavior of osteoblasts. In combination with cell growth factor, e.g. bone morphogenetic protein, the nanostructured gel scaffold exhibited beneficial effects on osteoblast activity and differentiation, which suggested a promising future for local treatment of pathologies involving bone loss.