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Published on: May 2, 2016
Scaffolds based on chitosan/pectin thermosensitive hydrogels containing gold nanoparticles
Fábio R Tentor1, Jean H de Oliveira2, Débora B Scariot3
1Postgraduate Program in Materials Science & Engineering, Federal University of Technology-Paraná (UTFPR-LD), CEP 86036-370 Londrina, Paraná, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Technology-Paraná (UTFPR-AP), CEP 86812-460 Apucarana, Paraná, Brazil.
Gold nanoparticles enhance thermosensitive chitosan/pectin hydrogels for bone tissue engineering. These biocompatible hydrogels promote bone cell growth, offering potential for tissue reconstruction applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Tissue Engineering
Background:
- Thermosensitive hydrogels offer tunable properties for biomedical applications.
- Chitosan/pectin composites are explored for their biocompatibility and versatility.
- Incorporating gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) can modify hydrogel characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prepare and characterize thermosensitive chitosan/pectin (CS/Pec) hydrogels with varying gold nanoparticle (AuNP) concentrations.
- To investigate the effect of AuNPs and pectin concentration on hydrogel gelation temperature.
- To evaluate the cytocompatibility and bone cell proliferation potential of the developed hydrogels.
Main Methods:
- Preparation of CS/Pec and CS/Pec/AuNP hydrogels.
- Tilting method to determine gelation temperature.
- Wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and UV-vis spectroscopy for AuNP presence.
- Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for pore size analysis.
- MTT assay for cell viability and proliferation studies.
Main Results:
- Gelation temperature decreased with increasing AuNP content and decreasing pectin concentration.
- SEM confirmed pore sizes ranging from 350-600μm.
- All hydrogel formulations exhibited excellent cytocompatibility with various cell lines (VERO, HT-29, SiHa, LLCMK2, J774A1).
- CS/Pec and CS/Pec/AuNP composites significantly promoted proliferation and growth of mouse preosteoblastic cells (MC3T3-E1).
Conclusions:
- CS/Pec/AuNP hydrogels demonstrate tunable thermosensitive properties.
- The hydrogels are highly cytocompatible and support bone cell growth.
- These materials show promise as scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration.
