Optimising micro-hydroxyapatite reinforced poly(lactide acid) electrospun scaffolds for bone tissue engineering

Kareem, M. and Tanner, K. E. (2020) Optimising micro-hydroxyapatite reinforced poly(lactide acid) electrospun scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine, 31(4), 38. (doi: 10.1007/s10856-020-06376-8) (PMID:32253587)

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Abstract

HA-mineralised composite electrospun scaffolds have been introduced for bone regeneration due to their ability to mimic both morphological features and chemical composition of natural bone ECM. Micro-sized HA is generally avoided in electrospinning due to its reduced bioactivity compared to nano-sized HA due to the lower surface area. However, the high surface area of nanoparticles provides a very high surface energy, leading to agglomeration. Thus, the probability of nanoparticles clumping leading to premature mechanical failure is higher than for microparticles at higher filler content. In this study, two micron-sized hydroxyapatites were investigated for electrospinning with PLA at various contents, namely spray dried HA (HA1) and sintered HA (HA2) particles to examine the effect of polymer concentration, filler type and filler concentration on the morphology of the scaffolds, in addition to the mechanical properties and bioactivity. SEM results showed that fibre diameter and surface roughness of 15 and 20 wt% PLA fibres were significantly affected by incorporation of either HA. The apatite precipitation rates for HA1 and HA2-filled scaffolds immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF) were similar, however, it was affected by the fibre diameter and the presence of HA particles on the fibre surface. Degradation rates of HA2-filled scaffolds in vitro over 14 days was lower than for HA1-filled scaffolds due to enhanced dispersion of HA2 within PLA matrix and reduced cavities in PLA/HA2 interface. Finally, increasing filler surface area led to enhanced thermal stability as it reduced thermal degradation of the polymer.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:The work was supported by an Iraqi Government Scholarship Grant (number S1648).
Keywords:Biophysics, bioengineering, biomaterials, biomedical engineering.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Tanner, Professor Kathleen and Kareem, Miss Muna
Authors: Kareem, M., and Tanner, K. E.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering
College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Biomedical Engineering
Journal Name:Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine
Publisher:Springer Science and Business Media LLC
ISSN:0957-4530
ISSN (Online):1573-4838

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