Nano pearl powder/chitosan-hyaluronic acid scaffold promotes angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo

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The repair of bone defects represents a coordinated process entailing interactions, including such as early immune - inflammation regulation, angiogenesis, osteogenic differentiation, and bone formation, among angiogenesis is crucial. Consequently, augmenting the angiogenic capacity of engineering materials has emerged as a pivotal strategy for effective bone regeneration. In this study, a nano pearl powder (NPP)/chitosan-hyaluronic acid (C-HA) composite bioactive scaffold was cultured with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to evaluate its angiogenic potential in vitro . The NPP/C-HA scaffolds promoted HUVEC proliferation, with a cell proliferation rate of 1.49% ± 4.5% and a cell count of 22 ± 1.73 per field of view. Tubule formation was observed, with 101 ± 33 junction points and 78 ± 14 branch points. The relative protein expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2), and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) were increased. In vivo , the addition of NPP to the scaffolds enhanced the expression of vascular-related proteins, including platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1/CD31) and VEGF. Simultaneously, microvessel density (MVD) increased to 19.51 ± 4.60. These findings suggest that NPP/C-HA may be a promising biomaterial for bone repair and regeneration. • Blood vessel and bone formation interaction is crucial for bone regeneration. • Nano pearl powder scaffolds boost blood vessel cell growth and networks in vitro. • The scaffolds improve blood vessel growth for bone repair in vivo.