Scientists made a new material that sticks a small piece of the MGF peptide onto a biodegradable plastic. In lab tests, this material attracted bone‑building cells and helped them grow and lay down mineral, but it’s meant for implants, not for taking the peptide as a supplement.

Mechano-growth factor (MGF) is an alternative splicing variant of Insulin-like growth factor I. MGF and its 24 amino acid peptide analog corresponding to the unique C-terminal E-domain (MGF-Ct24E) are the positive regulator for tissue regenesis in bone. A novel biomimetic poly(D, L-lactic acid) (PDLLA) modification was designed and synthesized based on MGF-Ct24E grafted maleic anhydride modified PDLLA (MPLA). MGF-Ct24Es were grafted into the side chain of MPLA via a stable covalent amide bond using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyllaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride and N-hydroxysuccinimide as the condensing agent to produce biomimetic MPLA materials (MGF-Ct24E-MPLA). Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, amino acid analyzer, and elementary analysis were used to characterize the MGF-Ct24E-MPLA. The hydrophilicity of MGF-Ct24E-MPLA was evaluated by means of the water-uptake ratios and static water contact angle. Data revealed that the grafting efficiency of MGF-Ct24E was about 29.9%. MGF-Ct24E-MPLA had better hydrophilicity than PDLLA and MPLA. The osteoblasts behavior of proliferation, differentiation, and mineralization on PDLLA, MPLA, and MGF-Ct24E-MPLA films was investigated and the results indicated that the introduction of MGF-Ct24E could improve osteoblasts proliferation, mineralization, and delay differentiation. The MGF-Ct24E modified MPLA with higher bioactivity may have potential application for bone tissue engineering.