Study of Cell Behavior of the Electrospun Polycaprolactone/Gelatin Scaffold Containing Nano-hydroxyapatite and Vitamin D3

Abstract

Background: Scaffold, an essential element of tissue engineering, should provide proper physical and chemical properties and evolve suitable cell behavior for tissue regeneration. Methods: Polycaprolactone/gelatin-based nanocomposite scaffolds containing nano-hydroxyapatite and vitamin D3 was fabricated using the electrospinning method. To obtain suitable properties, solution and process parameters were optimized. Fiber morphology and MG-63 cells were cultured; chemical interactions between molecules forming scaffold and the amount of mineral deposition were determined via scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and alizarin red staining, respectively. Findings: The mean diameter of PCL/Gel/nHA/Vit D3 nanofibers was about 531 nm. The culture of osteoblast cells on the scaffolds showed that the addition of Vit D3 to PCL/Gel/nHA scaffold caused further attachment and proliferation of the cells. In addition, stained mineral deposits scaffolds with alizarin red staining showed that the amount of mineralized deposits was significantly higher in PCL/Gel/nHA/Vit D3 scaffold than other scaffolds (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Superior properties of nano-hydroxyapatite and vitamin D3 blended in polycaprolactone/gelatin-based scaffold were confirmed. The observations also revealed that the composite scaffold could be a good candidate for bone tissue engineering.

Keywords

• Bone
• Tissue engineering
• Nano-hydroxyapatite-collagen
• Vitamin D3