# Amino-Modified Mesoporous Bioactive Glass Adsorbed with Osteopontin Enhances Osteogenic Differentiation and Matrix Mineralization via the Erk1/2 Signaling Pathway

## TL;DR

A new biomaterial made from amino-modified glass with osteopontin boosts bone cell growth and mineralization through a key signaling pathway.

## Contribution

Amino-modified mesoporous bioactive glass adsorbed with osteopontin is shown to enhance osteoblast differentiation via the Erk1/2 pathway.

## Key findings

- MBG-NH2/OPN composites promote osteoid and calcium deposition in vitro.
- MBG-NH2/OPN increases osteoblast-specific gene expression like Bmp2 and Collagen I.
- The Erk1/2 signaling pathway is activated by MBG-NH2/OPN to enhance bone mineralization.

## Abstract

Mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) has been extensively studied in bone regeneration due to its excellent bioactivity and osteoconductive properties. Here, we prepared amino-modified MBG (MBG-NH2) adsorbed osteopontin (OPN) to form MBG-NH2/OPN composites, enabling the sustained release of OPN and enhancing osteoblast differentiation and mineralization capacity. Interestingly, we observed that MBG-NH2 promotes the formation of osteoid deposits and calcium deposition in vitro. Furthermore, we also found that MBG-NH2/OPN significantly enhances cell adhesion, differentiation, and mineralization. Consistent with these observations, we found the expression of the osteoblast-specific marker gene increased, including bone morphogenetic protein 2 (Bmp2) and Collagen I. Intriguingly, we also found that MBG-NH2/OPN promotes osteoblast differentiation and mineralization through activating the extracellular regulated protein kinases1/2 (Erk1/2) signaling pathway. We concluded that MBG-NH2/OPN enhances osteoblast differentiation and mineralization through the Erk1/2 pathway. These findings indicate that MBG-NH2/OPN is a new potential biomaterial for bone regeneration.