Abstract
Studies have reported that the incorporation of graphene oxide (GO) and hydroxyapatite (HA) into biocompatible polymers (such as collagen (Col), chitosan, alginate, etc) results in enhanced structural and mechanical properties respectively. The objective of this study was to prepare and characterize three-dimensional (3D) porous Col/GO/HA nanocomposite scaffolds and to investigate cytocompatibility and osteogenic differentiation potential of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) on the as-prepared scaffolds. The SEM images revealed that the scaffolds were porous with the pore diameter inversely proportional to the concentration of HA. XRD results were able to depict the characteristic peaks for HA which shows that HA was incorporated into the scaffolds. The rBMSCs which were cultured on the scaffolds were able to attach and proliferate during the 21 days of the experiment which indicates that the as-prepared scaffolds are cytocompatible. The Alizarin red staining demonstrated the presence of calcium deposits as there were orange-red stains on the samples after culturing the cells using the osteogenic differentiation medium. These results demonstrate the promising potential of the 3D porous Col/GO/HA nanocomposite scaffolds for applications in bone tissue engineering.
Highlights
Scaffolds are used to restore or regenerate damaged tissue in tissue engineering by providing a framework for cells to attach, proliferate, and form extracellular matrix of the targeted tissue [1]
Wc is the weight of container filled with ethanol, Wd is the weight of the dry scaffolds only, Wt is the total weight of the container filled with ethanol and the dry scaffold that has been soaked in the container, and Wr is the weight of the container filled with ethanol after removing the soaked scaffold [17]
These results suggest that the rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) that were cultured on pure Col, Col/graphene oxide (GO) and Col/GO/HA composite scaffolds were able to successfully differentiate into calcified tissue that resembles bone tissue
Summary
Scaffolds are used to restore or regenerate damaged tissue in tissue engineering by providing a framework for cells to attach, proliferate, and form extracellular matrix of the targeted tissue [1]. For the scaffolds to effectively aid tissue restoration and regeneration, they need to exhibit certain characteristics like being biocompatible with the biological systems of the body and they have to be able to undergo biodegradation once implanted [2]. These scaffolds are supposed to be fabricated in such a way that they should have proper interconnected pores with proper pore size. There is need for the scaffolds to have an excellent surface chemistry, topography and adequate mechanical properties [3]
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