Substantial effect of silk fibroin reinforcement on properties of hydroxyapatite/silk fibroin nanocomposite for bone tissue engineering application

Abstract

Nano-biocomposites that mimics bone’s extracellular matrix with hydroxyapatite as an inorganic and silk fibroin as organic phase for three different ratios via a simple in-situ co-precipitation method have been synthesized. The silk fibroin, a biodegradable polymer from cocoons of Bombyx mori silkworm were extracted by employing a chemical-free High-Temperature High-Pressure method as a degumming route. Then followed by the regeneration process which was done by using calcium chloride-formic acid solvent system to replace time-consuming, cost-effective traditional methods. The prepared composites were structurally analyzed using Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) techniques. The morphology and the elemental composition of the nano-biocomposites were examined using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX). The in-vitro bioactivity of the bio-composites namely, swelling ratio, biodegradation and biomineralization ability is monitored in the presence of Simulated Body Fluid (SBF). Our observation demonstrate that silk fibroin concentration influences the formation of hydroxyapatite.