Chitosan-gelatin porous scaffold incorporated with Chitosan nanoparticles for growth factor delivery in tissue engineering

Designing scaffolds capable of mimicking the 3D structure of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and deliver signaling factors to affect and control the cell response favorably, is of high importance in the field of tissue engineering. As polymeric nanoparticles are effective vehicles for delivering growth factors, this study aimed to fabricate and characterize a nanocomposite scaffold based on chitosan and gelatin, incorporated with chitosan nanoparticles loaded with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and bovine serum albumin (BSA). Nanoparticles, prepared by the ionic gelation method, were loaded with BSA-bFGF and introduced into chitosan-gelatin scaffolds to enhance their biological properties. Structural characterizations and biological assays showed that nanoparticles significantly affected the physical properties of the scaffold and could provide a sustained release of growth factor to enhance the proliferation of fibroblast cells significantly. These results are promising for improving the properties of chitosan-gelatin scaffolds in tissue engineering applications, especially where the delivery of angiogenic growth factor such as bFGF is needed.