Design and fabrication of electrospun scaffold based on gelatin containing calcium phosphate nanoparticles: in vitro and in vivo study

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
N. Baheiraei
F. Pourebrahim
M. Movahedin
Tarbiat Modares University
Abstract
Bone defects resulting from trauma, infection, fractures, and other factors present significant challenges that adversely affect organ function and lead to physiological damage. Tissue engineering offers a promising alternative to traditional and limited methods. In this study, we aimed to introduce a novel electrospun bone graft composed of beta-tricalcium phosphate (βTCP) combined with gelatin (Gel) and polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds, leveraging the favorable functional properties of bone-inducing biomaterials to enhance cell proliferation, biocompatibility, and signal transduction. We fabricated the composite scaffolds using the electrospinning technique to mimic the matrix fiber structure. The prepared scaffolds were thoroughly tested for their physicochemical properties and cytocompatibility. We conducted subcutaneous implantation in mice to evaluate the scaffolds' ability to induce angiogenesis. Compared to Gel-PCL scaffolds, human bone mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSs) cultured on Gel-PCL/βTCP scaffolds exhibited improved cell viability and adhesion. Histological evaluations confirmed the enhanced vascularization and good integration with the surrounding tissue in the βTCP containing samples following subcutaneous implantation. Introducing βTCP powder into the electrospinning solutions improved the biological and histological properties of our composite scaffold. Our findings suggest that βTCP-containing scaffolds could have beneficial effects on bone tissue engineering, and Gel-PCL/βTCP represents a promising scaffold for accelerating the angiogenesis of damaged bone tissue.

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Pathobiology Reserach
Volume 26, Issue 4
July 2023
Pages 47-57