Background:
Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) is a monomer with silicon structure and an internal nanometric cage.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to provide an injectable hydrogel that can be easily located in open or closed bone fractures and injuries, as well as reduce the possible risks of infections caused by bone graft either as an allograft or autograph.
Methods:
Various formulations of the temperature sensitive hydrogels, containing hydroxyapatite, Gelrite, POSS and platelets rich plasma (PRP), as co-gelling agent and cell growth enhancer, were prepared. The hydrogels were characterized for their injectability, gelation time, phase transition temperature and viscosity. The other physical properties of the optimized formulation including mechanical properties like compressive stress, compressive strain and Young’s modulus, rheometrical parameter including; storage and loss modulus, swelling ratio, biodegradation behavior and cell toxicity were studied on human osteoblasts MG-63 cells. The alizarin red tests were conducted to study the qualitative and quantitative osteogenic capability of the designed scaffold and the cell adhesion to the scaffold was visualized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Results:
The results demonstrated that the hydrogel scaffold mechanical force and injectability were 3.34±0.44 Mpa and 12.57 N, respectively. This scaffold showed the higher calcium granules production in alizarin red staining compared to the control group. The cells proliferation in G4.5H1P0.03PRP10 formulation was significantly higher than the other formulations (p<0.05).
Conclusion:
The optimized Gelrite/Hydroxyapatite/POSS/PRP hydrogel scaffold displayed useful impacts on osteoblasts activity, and may be beneficial for local drug delivery in complications including break or bone loss.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.