Self-sustained biomimetic bioelectronic accelerated metabolic reprogramming of bone regeneration

Abstract

Bionic bioelectronics has promising applications in bone defect repair, with current research primarily focusing on the development of electroactive biomaterials and self-powered systems, which can mimic the electrophysiological microenvironment of natural bone tissue, accelerating bone healing by promoting osteoblast proliferation and differentiation through electrical stimulation. However, the biological mechanisms of bionic electrical stimulation in bone defect repair remain incompletely understood. Here, the study developed a self-sustained biomimetic bioelectronic system comprising a triboelectric/piezoelectric hybrid nanogenerator (TP-hNG) and a multifunctional gold-coated polymer internal fixation plate (GP-IFP), which utilizes the natural biomechanical properties of rat heartbeat and respiratory movements to generate bionic electric signals (Bio-SIG) that are closely related to physiological neurofeedback signals. The Bio-SIG can disrupt the glucose metabolic homeostasis in osteoblasts, enhancing the osteoblasts’ dependence on aerobic glycolysis while attenuating dependence on oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). This metabolic shift triggers critical steps in osteogenic differentiation, bone formation and mineralization, effectively facilitating the repair of bone defects. This work reveals the key role of glucose metabolic reprogramming in osteogenesis mediated by bionic electrical stimulation, elucidates the complex regulatory mechanisms of bionics in bone regenerative medicine and deepens the understanding of how biofeedback electrical stimulation precisely regulates the bone regeneration process, which provides a solid theoretical basis for clinical personalized treatment.