PuraMatrix facilitates bone regeneration in bone defects of calvaria in mice.

Artificial bones have often used for bone regeneration due to their strength, but they cannot provide an adequate environment for cell penetration and settlement. We therefore attempted to explore various materials that may allow the cells to penetrate and engraft in bone defects. PuraMatrixTM is a self-assembling peptide scaffold that produces a nanoscale environment allowing both cellular penetration and engraftment. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of PuraMatrix TM on bone regeneration in a mouse bone defect model of the calvaria. MatrigelTM was used as a control. The expression of bone-related genes (alkaline phosphatase, Runx2, and Osterix) in the PuraMatrixTM-injected bone defects was stronger than that in the MatrigelTM-injected defects. Soft X-ray radiographs revealed that bony bridges were clearly observed in the defects treated with PuraMatrixTM, but not in the MatrigelTM-treated defects. Notably, PuraMatrixTM treatment induced mature bone tissue while showing cortical bone medullary cavities. The area of newly formed bones at the site of the bone defects was 1.38-fold larger for PuraMatrixTM than MatrigelTM. The strength of the regenerated bone was 1.72-fold higher for PuraMatrixTM (146.0 g) than for MatrigelTM (84.7 g). The present study demonstrated that PuraMatrixTM injection favorably induced functional bone regeneration.