Preparation of a Composite Scaffold from Polycaprolactone and Hydroxyapatite Particles by Means of Alternating Current Electrospinning

Abstract

This research involved the production of polycaprolactone fiber layers via the alternating current electrospinning method. To construct the micro/nanofiber scaffold, mixtures of two molecular weight solutions, M n 45 000 and M n 80 000, were spun in differing proportions in a solvent system containing acetic acid, formic acid, and acetone in a ratio of 1:1:1. The composite fiber materials with hydroxyapatite particles were prepared from a solution that combined the different molecular weight solutions at a ratio of 1:3. The study resulted in the preparation of fiber layers containing 0, 5, 10, and 15% (wt) hydroxyapatite particles from the dry mass of the polycaprolactone. The strength, wettability, and surface energy of the composite materials were examined, and the results demonstrated that hydroxyapatite affects the fiber diameters, strength, and surface energy and, thus, the wettability of the fiber layers. The fibrous layers produced were further tested for cytotoxicity and cell viability and proliferation. The results obtained thus strongly indicate that the resulting bulky micro/nanofiber layers are suitable for further testing with a view to their eventual application in the field of bone tissue engineering.

New Three-Dimensional Bioactive Reinforcing Filler for Improving the Properties of Biomedical Polymers: Synthesis and Application

“…HA with chemical formula of Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) 2 has some outstanding properties such as bioactivity, biocompatibility, low cytotoxicity, affinity to biopolymers, identical chemical composition with natural bones, high osteoconduction and osteointegration potential, ability to replace toxic ions, and low water solubility . Because of its remarkable stiffness, the HA filler can increase the elastic modulus and compressive strength of the polymer matrix. , HA particles with one- and two-dimensional (1D and 2D) geometries have been synthesized using different processes such as hydrothermal synthesis, precipitation, hydrolysis, solid state synthesis, and sol–gel crystallization . In comparison to the 1D and 2D geometries, little effort has been made to synthesize the 3D geometry of HA, which is due to the complicated procedure, which results in nonuniformity of the synthesized particles in terms of size and, as a result, their inapplicability as biomedical fillers.…”

Assessment Of 3D Printed Polycaprolactone, Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles and Polyethylene Glycol Diacrylate Scaffolds for Bone Regeneration

“…According to the literature, synthetic rigid porous scaffolds have usually been made based on hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HANp), biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP), betatricalcium phosphate (β-TCP), and polycaprolactone (PCL) [18][19][20][21]. Several studies combined PCL and HANp in scaffolds due to their properties and achieved good results inherent to bone regeneration both in vitro and in vivo [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]. PCL has been widely used due to its good biocompatibility, biodegradability, ease of processing (melting point between 55 and 60°C) and the fact that its blends well with other materials such as ceramics [32][33][34].…”

The Combination of Hydrogels with 3D Fibrous Scaffolds Based on Electrospinning and Meltblown Technology

“…Tissue engineering is a field that aims to replace, regenerate, or repair damaged tissue [ 1 ]. To complete these aims, tissue engineering uses fiber scaffolds [ 2 ]; however, these fibrous scaffolds can also be combined with hydrogels to form a composite scaffold [ 3 ]. In this study, we chose bioprinting technology to create a composite composed of a fibrous system and a hydrogel.…”