Tricomponent composite containing copper-hydroxyapatite/chitosan/polyvinyl pyrrolidone for bone tissue engineering.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Materials Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Chitosan/polyvinyl pyrrolidone (CS/PVP) composites are widely explored for biomedical applications.
• Copper-hydroxyapatite (Cu-HAP) incorporation can enhance the properties of CS/PVP scaffolds.
• Developing advanced composite materials is crucial for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel tricomponent Cu-HAP/CS/PVP composite.
• To evaluate the mechanical, porosity, antimicrobial, hemocompatibility, and bioactivity of the composite.
• To determine the optimal weight percentage of Cu-HAP for enhanced material properties.

Main Methods:

• Solvent casting technique for composite preparation.
• X-ray diffraction, FTIR, and SEM-EDX for material characterization.
• In vitro studies including antimicrobial, hemocompatibility, bioactivity (SBF immersion), ion leaching (ICP-OES), and cytotoxicity (MTT assay).

Main Results:

• The Cu-HAP/CS/PVP composite with 80 wt% Cu-HAP exhibited high porosity (98.73%) and tensile strength (101.45 MPa).
• The composite demonstrated significant in vitro antimicrobial activity against tested bacteria and fungi.
• Excellent hemocompatibility (hemolytic ratio < 2%) and apatite formation in simulated body fluid confirmed bioactivity.

Conclusions:

• The 80 wt% Cu-HAP/CS/PVP composite shows superior mechanical and physical properties.
• The developed material possesses significant antimicrobial and hemocompatible characteristics.
• The composite is bioactive and shows potential for bone tissue engineering applications.