Preparation and Characterization of Polyethylene Glycol Functional Hydroxyapatite/Polycaprolactone Electrospun Biomembranes for Bone Tissue Engineering Applications

Abstract

Surfaces of previously synthesized Hydroxyapatite particles (HAP) have been modified with polyethylene glycol functional silane (PEG-400Si). For the surface modification of HAP, firstly, synthesis of PEG-400Si was performed by urethane reaction of hydroxyl and isocyanate groups. Then, HAP was synthesized by sol-gel method. Afterwards, surface modification of HAP was realized with PEG-400Si. SEM, TEM, XRD and FTIR analyses were utilized to characterize the morphology and structural properties of the synthesized and modified particles. Results revealed that the surface of HAP was modified successfully and the crystal structure of HAP was not changed after modification. Electrospinning process was conducted to obtain unmodified and modified HAP incorporated nanofibrous biomembranes and the characteristics and biological performances of these membranes have been compared to each other. SEM analysis presented that defect-free and round shape nanofibers obtained and the fiber diameter ranged from 230±114 nm to 760±291 nm. In vitro biological evaluations revealed that all electrospun nanofibrous biomembranes were nontoxic and the one with PCL/PEG-400Si-HAP exhibited greatest cellular protein expression approximately 1.5 times higher than the PCL biomembrane for 24 h, 48 h and 72 h.