Bioactive macro/micro porous silk fibroin/Nano-sized calcium phosphate scaffolds with potential for bone tissue engineering applications

摘要

Aim: The development of novel silk/nano-sized calcium phosphate (silk/nano-CaP) scaffolds with highlydispersed CaP nanoparticles in the silk fibroin (SF) matrix for bone tissue engineering. Materials & methods:Nano-CaP was incorporated in a concentrated aqueous SF solution (16 wt.%) by using an in situ synthesismethod. The silk/nano-CaP scaffolds were then prepared through a combination of salt-leaching/lyophilization approaches. Results: The CaP particles presented good affinity to SF and their size wasinferior to 200 nm when theoretical CaP/silk ratios were between 4 and 16 wt.%, as determined by scanningelectron microscopy. The CaP particles displayed a uniform distribution in the scaffolds at both microscopicand macroscopic scales as observed by backscattered scanning electron microscopy and micro-computedtomography, respectively. The prepared scaffolds presented self-mineralization capability and nocytotoxicity confirmed by in vitro bioactivity tests and cell viability assays, respectively. Conclusion: Theseresults indicated that the produced silk/nano-CaP scaffolds could be suitable candidates for bone-tissueengineeringapplications.