Multifunctional Alginate-Gelatin Scaffolds Containing Cerium-Doped Bioactive Glass for Potential Bone Regeneration:
Fatemeh Shams1, Nafiseh Baheiraei2,3, Masoomeh Shams-Ghahfarokhi4
1Department of Basic Sciences, Biology and Health, Faculty of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Technologies, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
Objective:
RScaffolds incorporating bioactive glass (BG) have shown significant potential in promoting bone tissue repair. Cerium (Ce)-doped 45S5 BG (BG/Ce), in particular, offers therapeutic benefits by enhancing osteoblast proliferation and differentiation, as well as providing antimicrobial and antioxidant effects. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of incorporating BG/Ce into alginate-gelatin (ALG-GEL) scaffolds at varying concentrations (5, 10, and 15% w/v), focusing on their physicochemical, biological, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties to identify the optimal scaffold composition.
Materials And Methods:
In this experimental study, BG and Ce-doped BG were synthesized and characterized. ALG-GEL, ALG-GEL-BG, and ALG-GEL-BG/Ce scaffolds were fabricated at varying concentrations and subjected to physicochemical analyses. Cytotoxicity was evaluated using an MTT assay at 48 and 72 hours, while cell morphology was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The antimicrobial activity of selected scaffolds (ALG-GEL, ALG-GEL-BG 10%, and ALGGEL- BG/Ce 10%) was assessed via optical density measurements at 620 nm (OD-620), field emission SEM (FE-SEM), and disk diffusion tests. Antioxidant capacity was determined using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay.
Results:
Incorporation of BG/Ce markedly increased the Young's modulus of the scaffolds, from 14.1 ± 0.98 MPa for ALG-GEL to 90.07 ± 2.7 MPa for ALG-GEL-BG/Ce 10%. The MTT assay revealed enhanced viability and adhesion of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) on ALG-GEL-BG/Ce scaffolds at 48 and 72 hours. Antimicrobial assessments, including OD620 measurements, FE-SEM imaging, and disk diffusion tests, demonstrated superior antibacterial activity of the ALG-GEL-BG/Ce 10% scaffold against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus compared to its Ce-free counterpart. Furthermore, the ALG-GEL-BG/Ce 10% scaffold exhibited notable antioxidant activity.
Conclusion:
The ALG-GEL-BG/Ce scaffold demonstrates enhanced physicochemical, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties, highlighting its potential as a novel biomaterial for bone regeneration applications.
