A Comparison of the Effects of Silica and Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles on Poly(ε-caprolactone)-Poly(ethylene glycol)-Poly(ε-caprolactone)/Chitosan Nanofibrous Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The major challenge of tissue engineering is to develop constructions with suitable properties which would mimic the natural extracellular matrix to induce the proliferation and differentiation of cells. Poly(e-caprolactone)poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL-PEG-PCL, PCEC), chitosan (CS), nano-silica (n-SiO 2) and nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HA) are biomaterials successfully applied for the preparation of 3D structures appropriate for tissue engineering. METHODS: We evaluated the effect of n-HA and n-SiO 2 incorporated PCEC-CS nanofibers on physical properties and osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, thermogravimetric analysis, contact angle and mechanical test were applied to evaluate the physicochemical properties of nanofibers. Cell adhesion and proliferation of hDPSCs and their osteoblastic differentiation on nanofibers were assessed using MTT assay, DAPI staining, alizarin red S staining, and QRT-PCR assay. RESULTS: All the samples demonstrated bead-less morphologies with an average diameter in the range of 190-260 nm. The mechanical test studies showed that scaffolds incorporated with n-HA had a higher tensile strength than ones incorporated with n-SiO 2. While the hydrophilicity of n-SiO 2 incorporated PCEC-CS nanofibers was higher than that of samples enriched with n-HA. Cell adhesion and proliferation studies showed that n-HA incorporated nanofibers were slightly superior to n-SiO 2 incorporated ones. Alizarin red S staining and QRT-PCR analysis confirmed the osteogenic differentiation of hDPSCs on PCEC-CS nanofibers incorporated with n-HA and n-SiO 2. CONCLUSION: Compared to other groups, PCEC-CS nanofibers incorporated with 15 wt% n-HA were able to support more cell adhesion and differentiation, thus are better candidates for bone tissue engineering applications.

Towards osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells on PCL-PEG-PCL/zeolite nanofibrous scaffolds

“…The synthesis and characterization of PCL-PEG-PCL polymer were described in our previous study in detail [9]. Briefly, ring-opening polymerization of e-caprolactone (20.0 g, 175 mmol) (Sigma-Aldrich Co., Steinem, Germany) and PEG (2.0 g, 0.5 mmol) (Sigma-Aldrich Co., Steinem, Germany) was catalyzed by Sn (Oct)2 (0.5 wt%) (Sigma-Aldrich Co., Steinem, Germany).…”

“…However, the morbidity of the donor site and limited availability compromise the application of this method [8]. On the other hand, bone tissue engineering is a promising approach for bone reconstruction with fewer complications compared to autografts [9][10][11]. Tissue engineering is a combination of scaffolds, cells, and bioactive substance.…”

“…The scaffold in bone tissue engineering should have biodegradability, biocompatibility and mechanical strength [12]. The nanoscale substrate in bone tissue engineering promotes cell migration, cell adhesion and proliferation [9]. The nanofibrous PCL-PEG-PCL scaffolds fabricated by electrospinning method have shown these properties which could replicate the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) [13,14].…”

“…The nanoparticles loaded on scaffolds as bioactive molecules could enhance the cell adhesion, cell function, cell interaction and biomineralization [1,6,9,15]. Zeolite has a microporous structure and is widely used in biomedical research and tissue engineering field [20,21].…”

Chitosan Imparts Better Biological Properties for Poly(ε-caprolactone) Electrospun Membranes than Dexamethasone

“…22 In this facet, poly(ε-caprolactone)-chitosan-hydroxyapatite composite membrane scaffolds promoted proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells. 23 Poly(ε-caprolactone)-chitosan-based composite membranes have been used for wound healing, 24,25 wound dressing, 25 skin repair in burn wounds, 26 cranial tissue regeneration, 27 bladder regeneration, 20 cartilage defect repair, 28 and other applications. Vacanti et al 29 produced poly(ε-caprolactone) and poly(L-lactic)-poly(ε-caprolactone) nanofibers loaded with dexamethasone (5.7 wt.% of dexamethasone relative to dexamethasone and polymer content).…”