Preparation of microfluidic-based pectin microparticles loaded carbon dots conjugated with BMP-2 embedded in gelatin-elastin-hyaluronic acid hydrogel scaffold for bone tissue engineering application

The controlled delivery of the bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) with tracking ability would overcome most of the side effects linked to the burst release and uncontrolled delivery of this growth factor for bone regeneration. Herein, BMP-2-conjugated carbon dots (CDs) was used as noninvasive detection platforms to deliver BMP-2 for therapeutic applications where osteogenesis and bioimaging are both required. With this in mind, the present work aimed to develop a controlled BMP-2-CDs release system using composite scaffolds containing BMP-2-CDs loaded pectin microparticles, which had been optimized for bone regeneration. By using microfluidic approach, we encapsulated BMP-2-CDs in pectin microparticles with narrow size distribution and then incorporated into composite scaffolds composed of gelatin, elastin, and hyaluronic acid. The BMP-2-CDs was released from the composite scaffolds in a sustained fashion for up to 21 days exhibited a high controlled delivery capacity. When tested in vitro with MG-63 cells, these extraction mediums showed the intercellular uptake of BMP-2-CDs and enhanced biological properties and pro-osteogenic effect. By utilizing the pectin microparticles carrying BMP-2-CDs as promising bioimaging agents for growth factor delivery and by tuning the composition of the scaffolds, this platform has immense potential in the field of bone tissue regeneration.