Zn-substituted Mg₂SiO₄ nanoparticles-incorporated PCL-silk fibroin composite scaffold: A multifunctional platform...

Electrospun porous bone scaffolds are known to imitate the extracellular matrix very well and provide an environment through which the tissue formation is enhanced. Although polymeric scaffolds have a great potential in bone tissue regeneration, their weak bioactivity (bone bonding ability) and mechanical properties have left room for improvement. Therefore, the present study focused on the developing a ternary multifunctional platform composed of polycaprolactone (PCL)/silk fibroin (SF)/Zn-substituted Mg₂SiO₄ nanoparticles for bone tissue regeneration. This study is composed of two connected sections including synthesis and characterization of Mg_(2-x)Zn_xSiO₄, x = 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 through surfactant-assisted sol-gel technique followed by incorporation of the nanoparticles into PCL/SF hybrid scaffold via electrospinning technique. The weight ratios of polymers and ceramic nanoparticles were optimized to reach desirable textural-porosity, pore size, and fiber diameter-and mechanical properties. Having optimized the ternary scaffold, it was then undergone different physical, chemical, and biological tests in vitro. A precise comparison study between the ternary (PCL/SF/ceramic nanoparticles), binary (PCL/SF), and pure PCL was made to shed light on the effect of each composition on the applicability of ternary scaffold. The overall results confirmed that the Mg₁Zn₁SiO₄ nanoparticles-incorporated PCL/SF scaffold with fluorescence property was the one yielding the highest Young's modulus and desirable textural properties. The ternary scaffold showed improved biological properties making it a promising candidate for further studies towards bone tissue regeneration.