Injectable eggshell-derived hydroxyapatite-incorporated fibroin-alginate composite hydrogel for bone tissue...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Alveolar bone resorption after tooth extraction compromises dental implant success.
• Tissue engineering offers solutions for bone regeneration using advanced scaffolds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and characterize a novel hydroxyapatite (HA)-incorporated fibroin-alginate injectable hydrogel.
• To evaluate its potential as a scaffold for dental alveolar bone regeneration.

Main Methods:

• Hydroxyapatite (HA) synthesized from eggshell biowaste.
• Fibroin extracted from Bombyx mori cocoon.
• Fabrication and characterization of HA-fibroin-alginate hydrogel, including porosity, swelling, degradation, mechanical, and cytotoxicity tests.

Main Results:

• HA-fibroin-alginate hydrogel exhibited reduced pore size and porosity compared to pure alginate hydrogel.
• The hydrogel showed good water absorption (300% swelling at 24h) and degradation over 7 days.
• Non-toxic potential and increased ALP activity in MC3T3-E1 cells indicated good biocompatibility and osteogenic potential.

Conclusions:

• Injectable HA-fibroin-alginate hydrogel demonstrates potential as a dental scaffolding material for bone regeneration.
• Further in vivo studies are required to validate its clinical applicability for dental implants.