Fabrication and characterization of chitosan-gelatin/nanohydroxyapatite-polyaniline composite with potential application in tissue engineering scaffolds

In this study to further improve surface characteristics of tissue engineering scaffolds, a novel composite based on chitosan-gelatin/nanohydroxyapatite-polyaniline (CS-Gel/nHA-PANI) was prepared by blending the synthesized nHA and PANI with chitosan and gelatin solution followed by lyophilization technique. The prepared composite scaffold was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy techniques. The effects of nHA and PANI on the physicochemical properties of the scaffold including swelling ratio, density, biodegradation, biomineralization, and mechanical behavior were investigated. The composite scaffold was highly porous with the mean pore size of 200 mu m. Compared with CS-Gel and CS-Gel/nHA scaffolds, the CS-Gel/nHA-PANI scaffold exhibited lower degradation rate and higher biomineralization and mechanical strength. Preliminary evaluation of the biocompatibility and cytotoxicity of the CS-Gel/nHA-PANI composite scaffold was performed by MTT assay using bovine leukemia virus fetal lamb kidney cell line (BLV-FLK) and then cell attachment studies were assessed using dental pulp stem cells. Results indicated no toxicity, and cells attached and proliferated on the pore surfaces of the scaffold. These findings suggested that the developed scaffold possess the prerequisites and can be used as a scaffold for hard tissues regeneration.