Bone tissue engineering: Divalent metal cations stimulate new bone formation

The concept of new bone formation via divalent cations is widely reported although the underlying mechanism of the process remains unclear. In a new report now published in Nature Communications, Wei Qiao and a team of scientists in orthopedics surgery, materials science, and biomaterials in China and the U.S. reported how cations can stimulate skeleton interoception to regulate bone formation by promoting prostaglandin E2 secretion (a potent inflammatory mediator) from macrophages. The immune response accompanied sprouting and arborization of nerve fibers to sense inflammatory cues and convey signals to the central nervous system. The process of activating skeleton interoception downregulated the sympathetic tone to facilitate new bone formation. The study revealed how divalent cations promote bone formation via the skeleton interoceptive circuit. This finding can prompt the development of new biomaterials during bone tissue engineering to promote the therapeutic power of divalent cations.