Microbially Catalyzed Biomaterials for Bone Regeneration

Abstract Bone is a complex mineralized tissue composed of various organic (proteins, cells) and inorganic (hydroxyapatite, calcium carbonate) substances with micro/nanoscale structures. To improve interfacial bioactivity of bone‐implanted biomaterials, extensive efforts are being made to fabricate favorable biointerface via surface modification. Inspired by microbially catalyzed mineralization, a novel concept to biologically synthesize the micro/nanostructures on bioceramics, microbial‐assisted catalysis, is presented. It involves three processes: bacterial adhesion on biomaterials, production of CO 3 2− assisted by bacteria, and nucleation and growth of CaCO 3 nanocrystals on the surface of bioceramics. The microbially catalyzed biominerals exhibit relatively uniform micro/nanostructures on the surface of both 2D and 3D α‐CaSiO 3 bioceramics. The topographic and chemical cues of the grown micro/nanostructures present excellent in vitro and in vivo bone‐forming bioactivity. The underlying mechanism is closely related to the activation of multiple biological processes associated with bone regeneration. The study offers a microbially catalytic concept and strategy of fabricating micro/nanostructured biomaterials for tissue regeneration.