Biomimetic Porous Inorganic Materials for Bone Engineering Using a Natural Yam Stalk Template

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Biomaterials
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Biomimicry offers a sustainable approach for developing structural materials aligned with circular economy principles.
• Yam stalks (Dioscorea) present a waste material with a porous, biopolymer-rich structure suitable for templating.
• Developing bone-mimicking scaffolds is crucial for advancing tissue engineering applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To utilize yam stalks as a biotemplate for creating sustainable, porous scaffolds.
• To fabricate silica and titania-based scaffolds using the sol-gel process.
• To evaluate the potential of these biomimetic scaffolds for tissue engineering, particularly for synthetic bone.

Main Methods:

• Yam stalks were used as biotemplates in a sol-gel process with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) or titanium bis-(ammonium lactate) dihydroxide (TiBALDH) precursors.
• Inorganic oxide deposition followed by calcination at 700 °C removed the biotemplate, yielding porous silica and titania scaffolds.
• Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Micro CT analysis were employed to characterize scaffold morphology, pore size, and volume.

Main Results:

• SEM revealed homogeneous, interconnected macroporous scaffolds with hexagonal (honeycomb-like) structures.
• Micro CT confirmed significant pore volumes (768.61 mm³ for silica, 853.00 mm³ for titania) with suitable pore sizes (176-395 μm).
• In vitro assays demonstrated good cell viability, osteogenic potential (ALP activity, collagen production) for both silica and titania scaffolds.

Conclusions:

• Yam stalk-derived biomimetic scaffolds offer a promising, sustainable alternative for synthetic bone applications in tissue engineering.
• The observed porous structure and composition support cell proliferation and nutrient transport.
• These environmentally friendly and economically viable materials present multifunctional potential.