Hydrophobicity of the biofunctionalized scaffolds for bone tissue engineering application in dentistry

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to characterize the hydrophobicity of the functionalized scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications in Dentistry. Materials and Methods: This experimental study was conducted in the Tissue Engineering Laboratory of The University of Sheffield. The scaffolds were polycaprolactone (PCL) and functionalized using heparin, divided into five groups of prepared electrospun scaffolds. i.e., 1) Fully coated heparin, 2) Random drops of heparin, 3) Organized drops of heparin, 4) Stamping-micropockets with heparin, 5) PCL scaffold only (Control). Hydrophobicity was characterized by measuring the contact angle of distilled water drops on the scaffolds. One-way ANOVA was used as a data analysis test, with p<0.05. Result: The mean contact angle of each group was 63.33, 63.83, 63.33, 73.00, and 64.58, respectively. There was no group of scaffolds categorized as hydrophobics and no statistically significant difference among and within groups. Conclusion: The functionalized scaffolds were mostly un-hydrophobic, being a deliberation of their biocompatibility and role in bone tissue engineering application in dentistry.