Poly(L-lactide)/nano-hydroxyapatite piezoelectric scaffolds for tissue engineering

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Bone tissue engineering demands bioactive materials for enhanced regeneration.
• Poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) is a promising biomaterial, but its bioactivity and mechanical properties can be improved.
• Nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) incorporation can enhance the properties of PLLA scaffolds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and characterize nanofibrous PLLA/nHA composites for bone tissue engineering.
• To investigate the effect of nHA addition and fiber orientation on the piezoelectric properties of PLLA scaffolds.
• To evaluate the impact of nHA and fiber arrangement on osteoblast proliferation.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of electrospun PLLA scaffolds with and without nHA, in random and aligned fiber orientations.
• Surface free energy measurements.
• Wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) for structural analysis.
• Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for thermal properties and crystallinity assessment.
• Piezoelectric constant (d33) measurements.
• In vitro cell culture studies with osteoblasts.

Main Results:

• Nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) increased the surface free energy of PLLA/nHA scaffolds, particularly with aligned fibers.
• Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated that nHA reduced the molecular mobility and crystallinity of PLLA.
• The piezoelectric constant (d33) increased with nHA addition and aligned fiber orientation.
• In vitro tests demonstrated enhanced osteoblast proliferation on PLLA/nHA scaffolds with aligned fibers.

Conclusions:

• The fabricated PLLA/nHA nanofibrous scaffolds exhibit enhanced piezoelectric properties and bioactivity.
• Aligned fiber orientation combined with nHA incorporation is beneficial for improving scaffold performance in bone tissue engineering.
• These composite scaffolds show potential for promoting bone regeneration.