Vanadium and strontium co-doped hydroxyapatite enriched polycaprolactone matrices for effective bone tissue...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Significant research focuses on enhancing scaffold properties for regenerative medicine.
• Developing functional scaffolds is crucial for improving their utility in tissue engineering.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of a multifunctional sustainable polymer scaffold, Polycaprolactone (PCL) embedded with hydroxyapatite co-doped with vanadium and strontium (HVS), for bone tissue engineering.
• To evaluate the physicochemical and biological characteristics of the novel HVS nanofiller and the resulting nanocomposite scaffold.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of PCL scaffolds incorporating HVS nanofillers.
• Characterization of HVS nanofiller using Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS).
• In vitro cell studies and evaluation of scaffold properties including mechanical strength, biodegradability, water absorption, and cell viability.

Main Results:

• The HVS nanofiller exhibited acceptable cytotoxicity (<70% viability).
• Scaffold integration with HVS enhanced water absorption, swelling, porosity, and hydrophilicity, facilitating nutrient and cell transport.
• Mechanical strength improved significantly (5.30 ± 0.37 to 10.58 ± 0.42 MPa), alongside enhanced biodegradability, antimicrobial properties, hemocompatibility, and biomineralization.
• Rat bone marrow-derived stromal cells (rBMSC) showed enhanced Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Alizarin Red Staining (ARS) activity, indicating excellent osteogenic potential.

Conclusions:

• The multifunctional PCL-HVS nanocomposite scaffold demonstrates superior physicochemical and biological properties for bone tissue engineering.
• The scaffold's enhanced mechanical strength, biodegradability, and osteogenic potential make it a promising candidate for biomedical applications.
• The study highlights the pivotal role of these nanocomposite scaffolds in advancing bone tissue engineering strategies.