Enhancing structural strength and improving cell survival through Polycaprolactone/(gelatin/hydroxyapatite) Core‐Shell nanofibers for tissue engineering

Abstract

Bone tissue engineering is a practical approach to repairing broken or damaged bones that combines scaffold, cells, and growth factors for treatment. In this study, polycaprolactone (PCL)/gelatin (Ge)/hydroxyapatite (HA) core‐shell nanocomposites have been produced by the coaxial electrospinning method. Coaxial electrospinning is an efficient method for scaffold preparation to provide an interconnected porous fibrous scaffold. The prepared nanocomposite simultaneously benefited from the good mechanical behavior of the core PCL polymer. The desired biological properties also originated from the outer layer of the Ge/HA nanocomposite. Nanofibrous scaffolds' properties were characterized using SEM, TEM, FTIR, TGA, DSC, tensile test, contact angle, and MTT assay. The morphology of the as‐electrospun nanofibers was investigated using SEM and TEM, which revealed a defect‐less fibrous morphology. TEM images showed the core‐shell structure of the prepared scaffold nanofibers. The contact angle test showed that the presence of HA nanoparticles has improved the wettability of fibrous composites. In addition, HA nanoparticles could effectively strengthen the polymer scaffolds. The highest UTS value of 4.1 MPa was obtained in the PCL/(Ge+10%HA) sample. The cytotoxicity results revealed that the prepared scaffolds were utterly biocompatible. Moreover, significant cell proliferation of osteosarcoma cells was observed at high HA contents. The interconnected pores allowed cells to migrate into the scaffolds and grow inside. Based on the obtained results, PCL/(Ge/ HA) core‐shell nanofibers could be a promising candidate for bone scaffolds.

A chitosan-coated PCL/nano-hydroxyapatite aerogel integrated with a nanofiber membrane for providing antibacterial activity and guiding bone regeneration

“…However, these bands exhibited slight shifts due to the mutual interactions between the components. 26 The water contact angles of M-PCL, M-PHA5, M-PHA7.5, and M-PHA10 aligned nanofiber membranes were all greater than 90° (Fig. 2c).…”

“…n-HA has been reported as an artificially synthesized biodegradable and bioactive material that can promote the growth and regeneration of bone tissues. 26 The fiber morphologies of the aligned nanofiber membranes with different n-HA contents were observed by the SEM images (Fig. 2a).…”

“…Thus, n-HA plays a crucial role in manufacturing new bones due to its non-toxic, bioactive, and osteogenic properties. 26 Although n-HA is a bone repair material that has garnered significant attention, its mechanical properties are insufficient, making it challenging to meet the requirements of clinical bone repair applications. As a type of synthetic polymer with high strength and toughness, PCL can enhance the plasticity of n-HA materials when combined with them.…”

Bioinspired core-shell nanofiber drug-delivery system modulates osteogenic and osteoclast activity for bone tissue regeneration

“…Its unique properties include flexibility, a partially crystalline structure, and water repellency [ 17 ]. PCL is well known for its good biodegradability and mechanical properties; however, its hydrophobic nature limits its practical applications [ 18 , 19 ]. Single-phase PLGA is not suitable for BTR because of its dimensional instability and lack of osteoinductive and osteoconductive properties [ 20 ].…”

Silicon and gadolinium co-doped hydroxyapatite/PLGA scaffolds with osteoinductive and MRI dual functions

“…HA is a type of calcium phosphate-based bioceramic material that is chemically similar to the inorganic components of bone and teeth. HA has high bioactivity and biocompatibility and can be combined with degradable polyester materials (such as polylactic acid (PLA), poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), and polycaprolactone (PCL)) to synthesize nanocomposites, which are a promising implant material for bone repair ( Sadeghi et al, 2022 ; Wei et al, 2022 ; Xu et al, 2022 ). However, the bone repair composite containing HA has only bone conductivity but no bone induction ability.…”