Drug/bioactive eluting chitosan composite foams for osteochondral tissue engineering
Muhammad Samie1, Ather Farooq Khan2, Saeed Ur Rahman3
1Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Biomedical Materials, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 54000, Pakistan; Department of Pharmacy, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, 22060, Pakistan; Department of Chemistry, Lancaster University, Lancaster, Lancashire LA1 4YB, United Kingdom; Materials Science Institute, Lancaster University, Lancaster, Lancashire LA1 4YW, United Kingdom; Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 25100, Pakistan.
New porous tissue scaffolds made from nano-hydroxyapatite and chitosan can regenerate bone-cartilage interfaces. These biomaterials support cell growth and release therapeutic agents, offering potential for joint repair and improved patient quality of life.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Regenerative Medicine
- Orthopedic Engineering
Background:
- Joint defects often damage subchondral bone, causing immobility and functional impairment.
- Regenerating the bone-cartilage interface is challenging but offers significant opportunities for biomaterial interventions.
- Developing effective subchondral bone substitutes is crucial for improving patient quality of life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate and characterize drug-/bioactive-loaded porous tissue scaffolds for subchondral bone defects.
- To evaluate the biomimetic properties, drug release kinetics, and cellular response of the developed scaffolds.
- To assess the potential of these scaffolds in modulating inflammatory and bone-specific biomarkers.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of porous scaffolds using freeze-drying, incorporating nano-hydroxyapatite (nHAp), chitosan (CS), and either hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) or Bombyx mori silk fibroin (SF).
- Structural and chemical analysis using FTIR, SEM, XRD, EDX, and XRF.
- Assessment of mechanical properties, drug release (triamcinolone acetonide [TA] or transforming growth factor-β1 [TGF-β1]), and cell viability (MC3T3-E1 cells) using cell attachment, live-dead, and alamarBlue™ assays.
- Evaluation of gene expression of inflammatory and bone-specific biomarkers using RT-qPCR.
Main Results:
- The fabricated scaffolds exhibited biomimetic compressive mechanical properties comparable to cancellous bone.
- Scaffolds demonstrated controlled release of therapeutic agents (TA or TGF-β1) over several days.
- Mouse preosteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells adhered and proliferated effectively on the scaffolds.
- TA-loaded scaffolds downregulated inflammatory biomarkers and upregulated bone-specific biomarkers in vitro.
Conclusions:
- The developed nHAp/CS-based porous scaffolds show promise as subchondral bone substitutes.
- These biomaterials support cell growth and possess therapeutic potential for managing inflammation and promoting bone regeneration.
- The scaffolds offer long-term potential for clinical applications in treating joint defects.
