Towards Complex Tissues Replication: Multilayer Scaffold Integrating Biomimetic Nanohydroxyapatite/Chitosan...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Natural tissues possess complex, layered structures crucial for function.
• Developing synthetic scaffolds that mimic these intricate architectures is a key challenge in regenerative medicine.
• Existing scaffolds often lack the precise control needed to replicate the graded composition of natural tissues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and prepare a multilayer scaffold that mimics the interstratified structure of natural tissues.
• To investigate the use of in situ biomineralization for creating graded chitosan/nanohydroxyapatite (Cs/n-HAp) constructs.
• To evaluate the structural, mechanical, and cytocompatibility properties of the developed scaffolds.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of multilayer scaffolds using chitosan matrices with varying nanohydroxyapatite (n-HAp) concentrations (10%, 20%, 30% wt%) via in situ biomineralization.
• Utilized a freeze-drying technique for scaffold preparation.
• Assessed scaffold properties including n-HAp nucleation, distribution, mechanical strength, and cytocompatibility using cell proliferation and apoptosis assays.

Main Results:

• Achieved successful Cs/n-HAp scaffold fabrication with controlled n-HAp nucleation and homogeneous distribution.
• Demonstrated improved mechanical properties in the Cs/n-HAp scaffolds compared to pure chitosan.
• Exhibited good cytocompatibility, with cell proliferation similar to controls at 10% n-HAp and no induced apoptosis up to 20% n-HAp.

Conclusions:

• The in situ biomineralization approach enables the creation of multilayered Cs/n-HAp scaffolds with graded compositions.
• The developed scaffolds show potential for mimicking complex natural tissues, such as osteochondral tissue.
• This strategy offers a promising route for advanced tissue engineering applications requiring biomimetic multilayered constructs.