Bone tissues are dynamically reconstructed during the entire life cycle phase, which is an exquisitely regulated process controlled by intracellular and intercellular signals transmitted through physicochemical and biochemical stimulation. Recently, the role of electrical activity in promoting bone regeneration has attracted great attention, making the design, fabrication, and selection of bioelectric bio-reactive materials a focus. Under specific conditions, piezoelectric, photoelectric, magnetoelectric, acoustoelectric, and thermoelectric materials can generate bioelectric signals similar to those of natural tissues and stimulate osteogenesis-related signaling pathways to enhance the regeneration of bone defects, which can be used for designing novel smart biological materials for engineering tissue regeneration. However, literature summarizing studies relevant to bioelectric materials for bone regeneration is rare to our knowledge. Consequently, this review is mainly focused on the biological mechanism of electrical stimulation in the regeneration of bone defects, the current state and future prospects of piezoelectric materials, and other bioelectric active materials suitable for bone tissue engineering in recent studies, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for novel clinical treatment strategies for bone defects.

Sufficient bone volume is indispensable to achieve functional and aesthetic results in the fields of oral oncology, trauma, and implantology. Currently, guided bone regeneration (GBR) is widely used in reconstructing the alveolar ridge and repairing bone defects owing to its low technical sensitivity and considerable osteogenic effect. However, traditional barrier membranes such as collagen membranes or commercial titanium mesh cannot meet clinical requirements, such as lack of space-preserving ability, or may lead to more complications. With the development of digitalization and three-dimensional printing technology, the above problems can be addressed by employing customized barrier membranes to achieve space maintenance, precise predictability of bone graft, and optimization of patient-specific strategies. The article reviews the processes and advantages of three-dimensional computer-assisted surgery with GBR in maxillofacial reconstruction and alveolar bone augmentation; the properties of materials used in fabricating customized bone regeneration sheets; the promising bone regeneration potency of customized barrier membranes in clinical applications; and up-to-date achievements. This review aims to present a reference on the clinical aspects and future applications of customized barrier membranes.

Psoriasis is a common chronic immune-inflammatory disease. Challenges exist in the present treatment of psoriasis, such as difficulties in transdermal drug administration and severe side effects. We hope to achieve a better therapeutic outcome for psoriasis treatment. By using modified soluble microneedles (MNs) loaded with daphnetin, the psoriasis symptoms of mice, the abnormal proliferation of keratinocytes, and the secretion of inflammatory factors were significantly reduced. In vitro, daphnetin is proven to inhibit the NF-κB signaling pathway and to inhibit the proliferation of HaCaT cells and the release of inflammatory factors, especially CCL20. This research showed that the modified microneedle loaded with daphnetin optimized transdermal drug delivery and relieved the symptoms of psoriasis more effectively. The novel route of Daph administration provides a future research direction for the treatment of psoriasis.

Regenerative sports medicine aims to address sports and aging-related conditions in the locomotor system using techniques that induce tissue regeneration. It also involves the treatment of meniscus and ligament injuries in the knee, Achilles’ tendon ruptures, rotator cuff tears, and cartilage and bone defects in various joints, as well as the regeneration of tendon–bone and cartilage–bone interfaces. There has been considerable progress in this field in recent years, resulting in promising steps toward the development of improved treatments as well as the identification of conundrums that require further targeted research. In this review the regeneration techniques currently considered optimal for each area of regenerative sports medicine have been reviewed and the time required for feasible clinical translation has been assessed. This review also provides insights into the direction of future efforts to minimize the gap between basic research and clinical applications.

Bone is a dynamic organ that has the ability to repair minor injuries via regeneration. However, large bone defects with limited regeneration are debilitating conditions in patients and cause a substantial clinical burden. Bone tissue engineering (BTE) is an alternative method that mainly involves three factors: scaffolds, biologically active factors, and cells with osteogenic potential. However, active factors such as bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) are costly and show an unstable release. Previous studies have shown that compounds of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) can effectively promote regeneration of bone defects when administered locally and systemically. However, due to the low bioavailability of these compounds, many recent studies have combined TCM compounds with materials to enhance drug bioavailability and bone regeneration. Hence, the article comprehensively reviewed the local application of TCM compounds to the materials in the bone regeneration in vitro and in vivo. The compounds included icariin, naringin, quercetin, curcumin, berberine, resveratrol, ginsenosides, and salvianolic acids. These findings will contribute to the potential use of TCM compound-loaded materials in BTE.