Background: Bone tissue engineering and research on peptides have significantly expanded over the last few decades. Several peptides have been shown to support and stimulate the bone healing response and have been proposed as therapeutic vehicles for clinical use. The aim of this comprehensive review is to present the clinical and experimental studies analyzing the potential role of peptides for bone healing and bone regeneration.
Methods: A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines was conducted. Articles presenting peptides capable of exerting an upregulatory effect on osteoprogenitor cells and bone healing were included in the study.
Results: Based on the available literature, there is a significant amount of experimental in vitro and in vivo evidence. Several peptides were found to upregulate the bone healing response in experimental models and could act as potential candidates for future clinical applications. However, the results from the available peptides that reached the level of clinical trials are limited.
Conclusion: Further research is needed to provide more insights into the processes governing osteoprogenitor cellular responses. With continued advances in biomimetic materials and scaffolds, new treatment modalities for bone repair will likely emerge.
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**Keywords**: Peptides, Mesenchymal stem cells, Bone healing, Growth factors