Chitosan/gelatin/SiO2 nanocomposite scaffolds: preparation structural mechanical and biological

Introduction Regenerative medicine is a new and exciting technique which has the potential to create tissues and organs.The fundamental purpose of a tissue engineering scaffold is to act as a three-dimensional template that may provide mechanical stability and proper biological behavior. A wide variety of biomaterials have been explored for application as tissue engineering scaffolds, including ceramics and natural polymers. Biodegradable polymers and bioactive ceramics are being combined in a variety of composite materials for tissue engineering scaffolds. Method Composite scaffolds of chitosan (CS)/gelatin (Gel) with Silicon dioxide (SiO2) were prepared by blending chitosan and gelatin with SiO2 nanoparticles. In this study, CS/Gel and CS/Gel/SiO2 complexes were fabricated as a scaffold by freezing and lyophilizing technique. The chitosan and gelatin based scaffolds were reinforced with silicon dioxide nanoparticles (SiO2) to develop nanocomposite scaffolds. Result Tissue engineered constructs must exhibit tissue-like functional properties, including mechanical behavior comparable to the native tissues they are intended to replace. The size of the silica particles was investigated using the DLS test. The prepared CS/Gel/SiO2 and CS/Gel nanocomposite scaffolds were characterized using SEM. The nanocomposite scaffolds were highly porous. The effects of SiO2 on the physicochemical properties of the scaffolds including biomineralization, shape retention, and mechanical behavior were investigated. According to the SEM results, all scaffolds showed biomineralization ability in-vitro. Compared with CS/ Gel the CS/ Gel/ SiO2 scaffold showed higher biomineralization and mechanical strength. Conclusion We suggest that CS/Gel/SiO2 bio-composite scaffold is a potential candidate to be used in tissue engineering applications

Keywords:

Tissue engineering , Scaffold , Nanocomposite , Chitosan , Gelatin , Silicon dioxide