Premium
Hydroxyapatite‐Incorporated Composite Gels Improve Mechanical Properties and Bioactivity of Bone Scaffolds
Author(s) -
Suvarnapathaki Sanika,
Wu Xinchen,
Lantigua Darlin,
Nguyen Michelle A.,
CamciUnal Gulden
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
macromolecular bioscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.924
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1616-5195
pISSN - 1616-5187
DOI - 10.1002/mabi.202000176
Subject(s) - biocompatibility , gelatin , self healing hydrogels , scaffold , composite number , swelling , tissue engineering , biomedical engineering , in vivo , chemistry , cell encapsulation , biomaterial , materials science , methacrylate , 3d cell culture , in vitro , nanotechnology , polymer chemistry , composite material , polymer , biochemistry , medicine , organic chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , copolymer , biology
Reinforcing polymeric scaffolds with micro/nanoparticles improve their mechanical properties and render them bioactive. In this study, hydroxyapatite (HA) is incorporated into 5% (w/v) gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogels at 1, 5, and 20 mg mL −1 concentrations. The material properties of these composite gels are characterized through swelling, degradation, and compression tests. Using 3D cell encapsulation, the cytocompatibility and osteogenic differentiation of preosteoblasts are evaluated to assess the biological properties of the composite scaffolds. The in vitro assays demonstrate increasing cell proliferation and metabolic activity over the course of 14 d in culture. Furthermore, the scaffolds support osteogenic differentiation of the microencapsulated preosteoblasts. For the in vivo study, the composite scaffolds are subcutaneously implanted in rats for 14 d. The histological staining of the explanted in vivo samples exhibits the functional advantages of the scaffold's biocompatibility, biodegradability, and integration into the existing host tissue. This work demonstrates the enhanced mechanical and biological performance of HA‐gelatin composite hydrogels for bone tissue engineering applications.