Gene expression of human bone marrow-derived stem cells on liquid crystalline self-assembed hydroxyapatite nanorods for bone regeneration

Liquid crystal-like, low-dimensional and long-range ordered structures (LC) are found in human tissues including bones. The excellent mechanical and biological functions of natural bones entail the well-orchestrated nano-scale hydroxyapatite (HAp) crystals within collagen fibres matrix. However, the understanding of the self-assembling of HAp nanocrystals and formation of hierarchically ordered bone structure are still elusive. Our study aims to develop an in situ traceable anisotropic HAp nanorods doped with citrate and terbium (Cit/Tb-HAp NRs), investigate their self-assembling behaviour and illuminate their potential and pathway of guiding ordered osteogenesis at multi-scale in vitro.