Microstructural Orientation and Precise Regeneration: A Proof-of-Concept Study on the Sugar-Cane-Derived Implants with Bone-Mimetic Hierarchical Structure.

It is of great importance to develop a 3D scaffold that matches the bone in aspects of element and structure. In order to achieve this aim, the sugarcane aerogel derived borate glasses scaffolds were developed through bioglass modification. Sol-gel-derived borate glasses of the 30-5B (Si/B ratio) have been prepared to produce 3D borate scaffolds with sugarcane morphologies. As a result, not only the elemental distribution but also the multilevel structure of this Gramineae plant derived implants were remarkably matched with natural bone. The subsequent animal implantation experiment found that the microstructural orientation of the implant had an important impact on the result of bone repair. The relative mechanisms were also discussed for the first time.