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In this study, we evaluated how different procedures of calcium phosphate synthesis and its incorporation in collagen:chitosan scaffolds could affect their structural and thermal properties, aiming the obtention of homogeneous scaffolds which can act as drug delivery vehicles in bone tissue engineering. Therefore, three different scaffold preparation procedures were developed, changing the order of addition of the components: in CC-CNPM1 and CC-CNPM2, calcium phosphate synthesis was performed in situ in the chitosan gel (1%, w/w) followed by mixture with collagen (1%, w/w), with changes in the reagents used for calcium phosphate formation; in CC-CNPM3 procedure, calcium phosphate was synthesized ex situ and then incorporated into the collagen gel, in which chitosan in powder was mixed. In all procedures, 5% (in dry mass) of ciprofloxacin was incorporated. FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of calcium phosphate in all scaffolds. DSC curves showed that collagen denaturation temperature (Td) increased with calcium incorporation. SEM photomicrographs of scaffolds cross-section revealed porous scaffolds with calcium phosphate grains internally distributed in the polymeric matrix. XRD diffractograms indicated that the calcium phosphates obtained are hydroxyapatite. The pore size distribution was more homogeneous for CC-CNPM3, which also stood out for its smaller porosity and lower absorption in PBS. These results indicate that the in situ or ex situ phosphate incorporation in the scaffolds had a great influence on its structural properties, which also had consequences for ciprofloxacin release. CC-CNPM3 released a smaller amount of antibiotic (30%), but its release profile was better described by all the tested models.

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This study aims to evaluate the incorporation, addition order and concentration of grape seed extract (Vitis vinifera L.) in chitosan and gelatin solutions, candidates as food coatings due to their excellent antioxidant and barrier properties. This study originally assesses how such variables can affect the rheological parameters of this particular combination of materials. Initially, 1% (w/w) solutions of chitosan (C) and gelatin (G) are mixed at a 1:1 ratio (CG). For grape seed extract addition, ethanolic solutions (50%, v/v) are prepared in different concentrations, with two incorporation orders: 1) addition to CG and 2) addition to the chitosan gel (C), followed by G mixing. The addition order reveals a direct influence on the rheological properties, and low extract concentrations leads to solutions with adequate viscosity for coating applications. The findings of this study confirm that it is essential to standardize the addition procedures during the preparation of the materials.

A proper valorization of biological waste sources for an effective conversion into composites for tissue engineering is discussed in this study. Hence, the collagen and the phenolic compound applied in this investigation were extracted from waste sources, respectively, fish industry rejects and the peels of the mangosteen fruit. Porous scaffolds were prepared by combining both components at different compositions and mineralized at different temperatures to evaluate the modifications in the biomimetic formation of apatite. The inclusion of mangosteen extract showed the advantage of increasing the collagen denaturation temperature, improving the stability of its triple helix. Moreover, the extract provided antioxidant activity due to its phenolic composition, as confirmed by 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) antioxidant assays. Mineralization was successfully achieved as indicated by thermogravimetry and scanning electron microscopy. A higher temperature and a lower extract concentration reduced the calcium phosphate deposits. The extract also affected the pore size, particularly at a lower concentration. The X-ray diffraction pattern identified a low degree of crystallization. A high mineralization temperature induced the formation of smaller crystallites ranging from 18.9 to 25.4 nm. Although the deposited hydroxyapatite showed low crystallinity, the scaffolds are suitable for bone tissue applications and may be effective in controlling the resorbability rate in tissue regeneration.