Thyroxine-loaded chitosan/carboxymethyl cellulose/hydroxyapatite hydrogels enhance angiogenesis in in-ovo experiments

Angiogenesis is one of the most important processes in repair and regeneration of many tissues and organs. Blood vessel formation also play a major role in repair of dental tissue(s) after ailments like periodontitis. Here we report the preparation of chitosan/carboxymethyl cellulose/hydroxyapatite based hydrogels, loaded with variable concentrations of thyroxin i.e., 0.1 μg/ml, 0.5 μg/ml and 1 μg/ml. Scanning electron microcopy images (SEM) showed all hydrogels were found to be porous and solution absorption study exhibited high swelling potential in aqueous media. FTIR spectra confirmed that the used materials did not change their chemical identity in synthesized hydrogels. The synthesized hydrogels demonstrated good bending, folding, rolling and stretching abilities. The hydrogels were tested in chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay to investigate their angiogenic potential. Hydrogel containing 0.1 μg/ml of thyroxine showed maximum neovascularization. For cytotoxicity analyses, preosteoblast cells (MC3T3-E1) were seeded on these hydrogels and materials were found to be non-toxic. These hydrogels with pro-angiogenic activity possess great potential to be used for periodontal regeneration.