Periodontitis is a chronic disease of the periodontal tissues caused by the accumulation of bacteria in the periodontal tissues. Severe periodontitis lead to periodontal bone loss, which can eventually leads to premature tooth loss [1]. Currently, guided tissue regeneration (GTR) has become the standard procedure for periodontal tissue regeneration treatment, utilizing membrane materials as a mechanical barrier to create space around the defect, allowing bone regeneration to occur by competing for the smallest space with the surrounding connective tissue [2], [3]. However, currently available membranes have limited potential biological activity and regeneration [4]. In order to solve this problem, growth factors in the GTR, bioactive molecules and calcium phosphate are used to improve its biological activity, but these programs, in vivo or in vitro, have shown inconsistent and different reactions [5], [6], [7]. Therefore, a novel concept should be advanced to meet the challenge.

MXene is a new type of two-dimensional nanomaterial. MXene has a universal formula, Mn + 1XnTx (n = 1, 2, 3 or 4), where M represents early transition metals such as Ti, V, etc., X represents carbon and/or nitrogen, and T represents hydroxyl groups (-OH), oxygen (-O) and/or fluorine (-F) [7], [8], [9]. It has abundant oxygen-containing functional groups and excellent specific surface area, which enables better contact with biological macromolecules and cells, making MXene-based polymers also serve as excellent cell scaffolds [10], [11], [12], [13]. Further, Yu et al. [14] found that a biomimetic surface potential by combining two-dimensional Ti₃C₂Tₓ could promote the recruitment of osteoblasts and speed up the differentiation of osteoblasts. It is strongly argued that the MXene-based scaffold provides a new strategy for tissue engineering regulated by the surface features, which would be an effective way for periodontitis tissue regeneration.

Existing studies have also shown that the structural topography of scaffolds can greatly affect cell adhesion, proliferation and cell growth morphology [15], [16], [17]. A GTR membrane in which the surface fibers are arranged perpendicularly and the interlayer fibers are randomly arranged can effectively prevent the mutual infiltration of MC3T3-E1 and NIH-3T3 cells [18]. In bone tissue engineering, oriented fibers can also promote cell proliferation and differentiation. Cells prefer to extend multiple prosthetic feet, looking for surrounding fibers for adhesion. During this process, cells prefer to adhere along the corresponding fibers rather than pass through the neighboring fibers. Thus, cells undergo the rapid development of a dense array of fibers between adjacent cross-adhesion, finally to present a star or spindle cell pattern. [19]. However, the fiber membrane with only topological guidance still need improvement in promoting tissue regeneration. Therefore, MXene was incorporated to leverage its excellent tissue-inductive properties.

Here, we aim to construct an orthogonally oriented PCL fiber scaffold with coating MXene (MXene@APCL) for the repair and regeneration of periodontal tissues. By co-culturing Dental Follicle Stem Cells (DFSCs) with MXene@APCL composite scaffolds, the system evaluation of DFSCs’ effects on cell proliferation and differentiation is conducted. The synergistic effect of both surface features and oriented fibrous topography on the osteogenic ability was developed. The study provides a new strategy for periodontal tissue repair.