Evaluation of keratinocyte viability on polyvinyl alcohol/sodium alginate/(hydroxyapatite/dysprosium oxide) scaffolds

In this work, biomimetic scaffolds designed to mimic the microstructure of human skin were fabricated by electrospinning using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), sodium alginate (SA), and hydroxyapatite-dysprosium oxide (Hap/Dy₂O₃). Hap was synthesized by a hydrothermal method with Dy₂O₃ contents of 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 wt%. The resulting electrospun PVA/SA scaffolds incorporating Dy₂O₃-decorated Hap exhibited hydrophilic behavior and structural stability through ionic crosslinking. Morphological analysis by scanning electron microscopy revealed mean fibre diameters ranging from 0.43 to 1.47 µm across the scaffold formulations. Structural and compositional analyses using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis confirmed the preservation of the characteristic phosphate bands of Hap and the structural stability of the scaffold components. Cytocompatibility was evaluated in human keratinocytes using calcein AM and ethidium homodimer staining. Quantitative analysis indicated that all formulations maintained cell viability above the ISO 10993-5 threshold. These results demonstrate that the developed electrospun scaffolds provide a suitable microenvironment for keratinocyte growth while preserving the multifunctional characteristics associated with Dy₂O₃-containing biomaterials.