Abstract
Nanocomposite structure of the bone can be mimicked by chitosan/hydroxyapatite (CS/HAp) composite scaffold. Biological hydroxyapatite (HAp) contains various ions, which have a crucial role in bone growth. The aim of the present work was to synthesize biomimetic hydroxyapatite and prepare composite scaffolds based on chitosan, where HAp was synthesised from hen eggshells, seashells and cuttlefish bone. The powders were composed of nano-structured calcium deficient HAp and amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP). In the as-prepared powders, Sr2+, Mg2+ and Na+ ions were detected as a result of using biogenic precursor of Ca2+ ions. Highly porous CS/HAp structures have been prepared by freeze-gelation technique. The CS/HAp scaffolds have shown highly porous structure with very well interconnected pores and homogeneously dispersed HAp particles. The MTT assay of CS/HAp scaffolds has shown no toxicity, and the live/dead assay has confirmed good viability and proliferation of seeded cells.
Highlights
Considering the improvement of people’s living standard and increased life expectancy, it is crucial to develop scaffolds for bone tissue engineering that fulfil various requirements such as bioactivity, biocompatibility, cell-scaffold adhesion, mechanical properties, and biodegradability[1,2]
Pharmacologics and biologics were used in combination with calcium phosphate ceramics (CaP) to increase bone regeneration
Composite scaffolds based on biodegradable polymers and bioactive ceramics are promising materials for bone-tissue regeneration applications
Summary
Considering the improvement of people’s living standard and increased life expectancy, it is crucial to develop scaffolds for bone tissue engineering that fulfil various requirements such as bioactivity, biocompatibility, cell-scaffold adhesion, mechanical properties, and biodegradability[1,2]. A promising way to obtain appropriate scaffold is to mimic the structure, element content, and phase composition of natural bone tissue[3,4,5]. Hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)[2], HAp) is a calcium phosphate highly used in bone tissue engineering as scaffold, filler, drug delivery system, and bioactive coating, due to its bioactivity, osteoinductivity, biocompatibility, and chemical similarity to the mineral phase of bone tissue[1,7,8]. In synthetic stoichiometric HAp there are no trace elements in its structure, which is why natural biogenic sources as potential materials for synthesis of biomimetic HAp have been investigated[1,6,12]. Calcium-rich sources, such as eggshells, seashells, animal bones, cuttlefish bone, and corals represent a promising future of bioceramics because they naturally contain trace elements in their crystal lattice[13]. Using natural biogenic sources for HAp synthesis, bio-waste (e.g. eggshells, fish bones) is reduced and recycled, and it is considered as an environmentally friendly approach[14,15]
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