Bioactive Glass and Biopolymer Based Composite Scaffold for Bone Regeneration

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The composite scaffold of chitosan-gelatin reinforced with bioactive glass particles was prepared using freeze drying method after blending chitosan and gelatin solution with bioactive glass where glutaraldehyde acted as a cross-linking agent for biopolymers. Bioactive glass particles were synthesized using sol-gel route and characterized using XRD and FTIR. The composite scaffold was prepared at a fixed solid loading of 30 wt% with a composition of gelatin, chitosan and bioactive glass at 20:50:30 in weight. Characteristic IR band for (–C=N–) bond in the prepared composite scaffold confirmed inter gelatin and chitosan-gelatin cross-linking in the scaffold with the help of glutaraldehyde. Total porosity in the scaffold varied between 75% and 80% as determined by Archimedes principle. Microstructural investigation using scanning electron microscopy revealed well interconnected porosity in the scaffold with pore size in the range of 100–150 μm. Bioactive glass particles were found to be well dispersed in the pore wall of biopolymer matrix. The developed scaffold exhibited an average compressive strength of 2.48 MPa which is close to the lower limit of compressive strength of spongy bone. In vitro bioactivity was assessed after immersing the scaffold in simulated body fluid, with a result indicating an entire coverage of the scaffold with a thick deposition of carbonated apatite after 10 days. MTT assay on the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) cultured scaffold showed that the scaffold supported MSCs proliferation up to 7 days of cell culture.