AccScience Publishing / IJB / Volume 12 / Issue 1 / DOI: 10.36922/IJB025490505
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RESEARCH ARTICLE

3D-printed nano-hydroxyapatite/polylactic acid scaffold with simvastatin-loaded hydroxyethyl methacrylate/sulfobetaine methacrylate hydrogel for accelerated bone repair

Yang Qu1,2† ,  Ya’nan Wang3† ,  Weiqing Kong4 ,  Xiaofan Du1 ,  Jianyi Li1 ,  Yukun Du1 ,  Guanghui Gu1* ,  Yongming Xi1*
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1 Department of Spinal Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
2 Key Laboratory of Trauma and Neural Regeneration, Ministry of Education and National Center for Trauma Medicine, Department of Orthopedics and Trauma, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
3 Department of Nuclear Medicine, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Southeast University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China
4 Department of Orthopedics, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Southeast University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China
†These authors contributed equally to this work.
IJB 2026, 12(1), 656–671; https://doi.org/10.36922/IJB025490505
Received: 2 December 2025 | Accepted: 1 January 2026 | Published online: 14 January 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Bone defects resulting from trauma, infection, or tumor resection often exceed the self-healing capacity of bone tissue, requiring bioactive and mechanically robust repair materials. In this study, a composite scaffold was developed via in situ polymerization of a hydroxyethyl methacrylate/sulfobetaine methacrylate (HMSM) hydrogel with a three-dimensional-printed nano-hydroxyapatite/polylactic acid (NP) gradient scaffold to achieve controlled simvastatin (SIM) delivery and enhanced osteogenesis. The HMSM hydrogel served as a hydrophilic and biocompatible matrix, while the NP scaffold provided mechanical strength and structural support. SIM was incorporated into the hydrogel–scaffold composite (SIM@HMSM/NP) to establish a sustained drug-release system. The composite exhibited a smooth microstructure, uniform pore distribution, and a gradient architecture mimicking native bone. Mechanical testing demonstrated improved compressive strength compared with individual components, and in vitro studies revealed stable SIM release over 24 days with a degradation profile compatible with bone regeneration. The SIM@HMSM/ NP demonstrated excellent cytocompatibility, promoting the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, and significantly enhanced bone formation in a rat calvarial defect model. These findings suggest that the SIM@HMSM/NP scaffold provides a promising strategy for sustained drug delivery and accelerated bone regeneration in critical-sized bone defects.  

 

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Bone tissue engineering
Hydrogel–scaffold composite
Hydroxyethyl methacrylate/sulfobetaine methacrylate hydrogel
Nano-hydroxyapatite/polylactic acid scaffold
Simvastatin
Three-dimensional printing
Funding
This study was supported by the Taishan Scholar Project of Shandong Province (No. tstp20250511).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare they have no competing interests.
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International Journal of Bioprinting, Electronic ISSN: 2424-8002 Print ISSN: 2424-7723, Published by AccScience Publishing
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