Fabrication of chitosan nanofibrous scaffold for bone repair

Abstract

Aim of Study: Scaffolds manufactured from natural polymers using nanotechnology are promising in the biomedical field due to their biocompatibility, lower toxicity and biodegradability. They can be used in bone tissue engineering, where the extracellular matrix found in the body tissues can be simulated through the manufacturing of randomly oriented nanofibrous scaffolds with suitable fiber’s diameter and pore size by electrospinning.

Materials and methods: In this research, scaffolds were manufactured from blends of chitosan and polyvinyl Alcohol by electrospinning at a ratio of 70/30, respectively, and were characterized using AFM. In vitro test using MTT assay was carried out to evaluate their suitability for use as bio-scaffolds in tissue engineering field.

Results: The average diameter of the nanofibers of the manufactured scaffold was169.7 ± 31.02 nm, the average pore size was 0.542 ± 0131 µm, with an average surface roughness of 68.3 nm and square surface roughness of 86.1 nm as shown by atomic force microscope, the average tensile strength 6.67 ± 0.7 MPa, and the average contact angle was 29.5⁰ ± 0.73⁰. The MTT assay also showed an increase in the number of living cells in the scaffold.

Conclusions: It is possible to manufacture bio-scaffolds with good specifications suitable for use in the field of tissue engineering, and we recommend conducting further studies and introducing more than one material to improve the mechanical and biological properties of the manufactured scaffolds according to the targeted tissues.