International Journal of Nanomedicine (Sep 2022)
Polycaprolactone/Gelatin/Hydroxyapatite Electrospun Nanomembrane Materials Incorporated with Different Proportions of Attapulgite Synergistically Promote Bone Formation
Abstract
Jun Liu,1,2,* Siyu Wu,1,2,* Jiayi Ma,1,2 Chun Liu,1 Ting Dai,1 Xiaoyu Wu,1 Hongbin Zhao,1 Dong Zhou1 1Medical Research Centre, The Affiliated Changzhou No.2 People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, 213164, People’s Republic of China; 2Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116044, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hongbin Zhao; Dong Zhou, Medical Research Centre, The Affiliated Changzhou No.2 People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, 213164, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 13919761032 ; Tel/Fax +86 13861298585, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: To enhance the osteoinductive effect of Hydroxyapatite (HA) in bone tissue engineering, this study manufactured polycaprolactone (PCL)/gelatin (GEL)/HA nanofibrous scaffolds incorporated with different ratios of attapulgite (ATP): HA (0:3, 0:0, 1:1, 2:1 and 3:0) by high-voltage electrospinning. The synergistic effect exerted by ATP and HA on bone formation was explored both in vivo and in vitro.Methods and Results: First, we determined the group composition and crystal structure of the nanosheets by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. Then, the physical properties of the scaffolds, including the modulus of elasticity, porosity and water absorption were evaluated. Moreover, the surface microstructure of the nanofibrous scaffolds was captured by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). The biocompatibility of the fabricated scaffolds represented by cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8) and phalloidin staining was also assessed. Next, in vitro osteogenesis was evaluated. Real-time PCR, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and Alizarin red S (ARS) staining results showed that the materials incorporated with HA and ATP at a ratio of 2:1 synergistically promoted more osteoblastic differentiation and extracellular mineralization than scaffolds doped with HA and ATP alone. Last, in vivo, Hematoxylin-Eosin staining (HE staining) and Masson staining showed that groups treated with HA and ATP acquired optimal patterns of bone regeneration.Conclusion: This study clarified for the first time that the combination of HA and ATP orchestrated biomaterial-induced osseointegration, and the synergistic effect was more significant when the ratio of ATP/HA was 2:1. This conclusion also provides new ideas and a scientific basis for the development of functionalized nanomaterials in bone tissue engineering.Keywords: attapulgite, hydroxyapatite, bone regeneration, electrospinning technology
