3D interconnected porous biomimetic scaffolds: In vitro cell response

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Developing advanced biomaterials is crucial for bone tissue engineering.
• Optimizing scaffold properties influences cell behavior and bone regeneration.
• Gelatin-hydroxyapatite composites offer promising biocompatibility and osteoconductivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create and characterize 3D porous gelatin-hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffolds.
• To evaluate the impact of varying HA content on scaffold properties and osteoblast response.
• To assess the potential of these scaffolds for bone cell activation and mineralization.

Main Methods:

• Foaming and freeze-drying techniques were optimized for scaffold fabrication.
• Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) analyzed scaffold architecture (porosity, pore size, connectivity).
• Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and cell culture assessed osteoblast adhesion, proliferation, differentiation, and gene expression.

Main Results:

• Scaffolds exhibited interconnected porous structures with tunable mechanical properties based on HA content.
• Optimal HA content (up to 30 wt%) maintained high porosity, connectivity, and pore size suitable for cell infiltration.
• Osteoblast cultures demonstrated enhanced adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation on HA-containing scaffolds, with upregulated bone-related gene expression.

Conclusions:

• The developed 3D gelatin-HA scaffolds are stable, biocompatible, and osteoconductive.
• These scaffolds effectively promote osteoblast activation, extracellular matrix mineralization, and gene expression.
• The findings support the use of these composite scaffolds in bone regenerative medicine.