Pervasion of beta-tricalcium phosphate with nanodiamond particles yields efficient and safe bone replacement material amenable for biofunctionalization and application in large-size osseous defect healing

Nanodiamonds in biomedical research: Therapeutic applications and beyond

Nanodiamonds (NDs) comprise a family of carbon-based nanomaterials (i.e. diameter <100 nm) with the same sp3 lattice structure that gives natural diamonds their exceptional hardness and electrical insulating properties. Among all carbon nanomaterials-e.g. carbon nanotubes, nanodots, and fullerenes-NDs are of particular interest for biomedical applications because they offer high biocompatibility, stability in vivo, and a dynamic surface chemistry that can be manipulated to perform a seemingly limitless variety of ultra-specific tasks. NDs are already deepening our understanding of basic biological processes, while numerous laboratories continue studying these nanomaterials with an aim of making seismic improvements in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of human diseases. This review surveys approximately 2,000 the most recent articles published in the last 5 years and includes references to more than 150 of the most relevant publications on the biomedical applications of NDs. The findings are categorized by contemporary lines of investigation based on potential applications, namely: genetics and gene editing, drug delivery systems, neural interfacing, biomedical sensors, synthetic biology, and organ and tissue regeneration. This review also includes a brief background of NDs and the methods currently developed for their synthesis and preparation. Finally, recommendations for future investigations are offered.

Oral Bone Tissue Regeneration: Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Secretome, and Biomaterials

In the last few decades, tissue engineering has become one of the most studied medical fields. Even if bone shows self-remodeling properties, in some cases, due to injuries or anomalies, bone regeneration can be required. In particular, oral bone regeneration is needed in the dentistry field, where the functional restoration of tissues near the tooth represents a limit for many dental implants. In this context, the application of biomaterials and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) appears promising for bone regeneration. This review focused on in vivo studies that evaluated bone regeneration using biomaterials with MSCs. Different biocompatible biomaterials were enriched with MSCs from different sources. These constructs showed an enhanced bone regenerative power in in vivo models. However, we discussed also a future perspective in tissue engineering using the MSC secretome, namely the conditioned medium and extracellular vesicles. This new approach has already shown promising results for bone tissue regeneration in experimental models.