Application of Tantalum-Containing Chitosan Scaffolds for the Repair of Osteoporotic Bone Defects

The repair of bone defect in osteoporosis is a difficult task in clinical practice. As a scaffold material for repairing osteoporotic bone defects, chitosan is highly biocompatible; however, its unsatisfactory mechanical properties and poor osteogenic ability impede the long-term application of chitosan scaffolds. In this study, we constructed tantalum-containing chitosan scaffolds. The biocompatibility, mechanical properties and osteogenic capability of the tantalum-containing chitosan scaffolds were tested in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that the elastic modulus of the tantalum-containing chitosan scaffolds was higher than that of pure chitosan scaffolds, and the tantalum-containing chitosan scaffolds met the mechanical property requirement for osteoporotic bone defect repair. We also found that the tantalum-containing chitosan scaffolds were more effective in promoting the adhesion, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells than the chitosan scaffolds. Additionally, in the osteoporotic bone defect animal model, the tantalum-containing chitosan scaffolds repaired the bone defects better, with an increased number of bone trabecula and higher bone density. Overall, our study demonstrates that the developed tantalum-containing chitosan composite scaffold holds promising prospects for use as a bone defect repair material.