In vitro and i n vivo assessment of biomineralized amorphous silica fiber scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.

Scaffolds that simultaneously provide bioactivity, osteoinduction, and structural stability are essential yet remain elusive in bone tissue engineering. Here, we developed degradable amorphous silica fiber scaffolds that actively support biomineral nucleation and growth while maintaining long-term stability. The scaffolds degraded linearly over 40 weeks, and biomineralization enhanced compressive modulus by more than 100%. In vitro, biomineralized scaffolds exhibited excellent biocompatibility, robust mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) proliferation, and accelerated osteogenic differentiation, with strong upregulation of both early and late osteogenic markers (RUNX-2, COL1, BSP, and OCN) relative to non-mineralized controls. In vivo subcutaneous implantation elicited minimal immune response and rapid deposition of bone extracellular matrix within 6 weeks. These findings demonstrate that controlled biomineralization enhances the biological and mechanical performance of amorphous silica fiber scaffolds (Silica 3.0), highlighting their promise for bone tissue engineering applications.