Nanomaterials based
on graphene oxide nanoribbons (GNR) and nanohydroxyapatite
(nHAp) serve as attractive materials for bone tissue engineering.
Herein, we evaluated the potential of nHAp/GNR toward in vitro analysis
of specific genes related to osteogenesis and in vivo bone regeneration
using animal model. Three different concentrations of nHAp/GNR composites
were analyzed in vitro using a cytotoxicity assay, and osteogenic
potential was determined by ALP, OPN, OCN, COL1, and RUNX2 genes and alkaline phosphatase assays. In vivo bone neoformation
using a well-established in vivo rat tibia defect model was used to
confirm the efficiency of the optimized composite. The scaffolds were
nontoxic, and the osteogenesis process was dose-dependent (at 200
μg mL–1 of nHAp/GNR) compared to controls.
The in vivo results showed higher bone neoformation after 15 days
of nHAp/GNR implantation compared to all groups. After 21 days, both
nHAp/GNR composites showed better lamellar bone formation compared
to control. We attributed this enhanced bone neoformation to the high
bioactivity and surface area presented by nHAp/GNR composites, which
was systematically evaluated in previous studies. These new in vivo
results suggest that nHAp/GNR composites can be exploited for a range
of strategies for the improved development of novel dental and orthopedic
bone grafts to accelerate bone regeneration.