Multifunctional Nanocomposite Membranes Containing TiO2 Developed by Air-Jet-Spun Fibers for Tissue Engineering

Abstract

The incorporation of inorganic nanoparticles (NP) into nanofibrous polymeric membranes (NPM) is an attractive approach to developing multifunctional nanocomposites. The purpose of this study was to incorporate titanium dioxide (TiO2) NP into NPM to enhance the overall properties. Polycaprolactone (PCL) membranes with TiO2-NP (0.2 wt%) was fabricated by means of the Air-Jet Spinning (AJS) technique. The physicochemical characterization of the PCL-TiO2-NPM was performed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), the morphology was observed under scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and tensile strength and Young’s moduli were evaluated using an INSTRON Universal Testing Machine. In-vitro biocompatibility was evaluated in terms of cell adhesion and cell proliferation using human fetal osteoblasts. The results obtained demonstrated that TiO2-NP added to the PCL-NPM increases the values of tensile strength and Young’s moduli (p < 0.008 and p < 0.043) with respect to PCL-NPM without TiO2-NP. XRD exhibited the characteristic peaks of PCL at 21.3° and 23.7° and of TiO2 at 36°. The SEM micrographs revealed a random distribution with interconnected micropores. Cell adhesion and proliferation increased according to the time of the culture; only after the first period of cell culture was there a significant difference in cell proliferation (p < 0.05). The possible potential application of this PCL-PNM by Air-Jet Spinning (AJS) in tissue engineering could favor bone regeneration due that the addition of TiO2-NP.