In Vivo Biocompatibility and Improved Compression Strength of Reinforced Keratin/Hydroxyapatite Scaffold

Abstract

A rapid freezing/lyophilizing/reinforcing process is suggested to fabricate reinforced keratin/hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffold with improved mechanical property and biocompatibility for tissue engineering. The keratin, extracted from human hair, and HA mixture were rapidly frozen with liquid nitrogen and then lyophilized to prepare keratin/HA laminar scaffold. The scaffold was then immersed in PBS for reinforcement treatment, and followed by a second lyophilization to prepare the reinforced keratin/HA scaffold. The morphology, mechanical, chemical, crystal and thermal property of the keratin/HA scaffold were investigated by SEM, FTIR, XRD, DSC, respectively. The results showed that the keratin/HA scaffold had a high porosity of 76.17 ± 3%. The maximum compressive strength and compressive modulus of the reinforced scaffold is 0.778 and 3.3 MPa respectively. Subcutaneous implantation studies in mice showed that in vivo the scaffold was biocompatible since the foreign body reaction seen around the implanted scaffold samples was moderate and became minimal upon increasing implantation time. These results demonstrate that the keratin/HA reinforced scaffold prepared here is promising for biomedical utilization.

Human Hair Keratin Composite Scaffold: Characterisation and Biocompatibility Study on NIH 3T3 Fibroblast Cells

“…The SEM visualises the heterogeneous porous architecture of scaffolds, as shown in Figure 5 , as well as their interconnectivity and fibrous arrangements. The GS ( Figure 5 A) and extracted keratin ( Figure 5 B) shows the characteristic crystalline structure with the average particle size of 5 µm and 200 µm, which complied with the reported data [ 30 ]. Figure 5 C,D represents the surface of the scaffold of 1:3 and 1:4, respectively, having even roughness evident of PVA absolutely cross-linked.…”

Review of the Applications of Biomedical Compositions Containing Hydroxyapatite and Collagen Modified by Bioactive Components

“…It is the main component of materials such as hair, fur, wool, nails, hooves, or claws; however, several years ago it was experimentally combined with bioactive ceramics to determine the potential use of such formed material in the regeneration of the skeletal system [ 270 ]. Two-component systems using keratin and hydroxyapatite have been used to produce membranes [ 271 ], porous scaffolds [ 272 ], and laminar and reinforced keratin/HAp scaffolds [ 273 ]. However, in 2017, Arslan et al [ 274 ] presented a very cost-effective method of obtaining keratin from human hair (from a local hairdresser after obtaining ethical permission for its use), hydroxyapatite from egg shells, and collagen from the jellyfish Rhizostoma pulmo .…”

Hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) crosslinked keratin/hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffold fabrication, characterization and in vitro biocompatibility assessment as a bone graft for alveolar bone regeneration

“…In our current study we report the preparation of K/HA/HPMC porous composite scaffold by using freeze drying technique. This technique also known as lyophilization, or ice templating has been demonstrated as a promising method for various tissue engineering applications [ 17 , 18 , 19 ]. With this technology 3-dimmensional scaffolds could be designed having more than 90% porosity and pore diameter in the range of 20–400μm [ 19 , 20 ].…”

“…However, this layered scaffold failed to achieve biomimetic function fully [ 37 ]. In the past, mixing of hydroxyapatite and keratin has proven to be a successful approach towards designing hybrid biomaterials having improved mechanical strength, excellent biocompatibility and desirable porosity [ 18 , 38 , 39 ]. Tachibana et al.…”