Preparation of silk fibroin/collagen/hydroxyapatite composite scaffold by particulate leaching method

A novel porous silk fibroin/collagen/hydroxyapatite (SCH) scaffold was one-step fabricated by NaCl particulate leaching method. The interconnected pore network and morphology of SCH scaffolds were determined by environmental scanning electron microscope. The scaffolds exhibited a three-dimensional (3D) porous structure with adjustable macropore size and highly interconnected porosity. The data of EDX, FTIR and XRD spectra confirmed that hydroxyapatite, silk fibroin and collagen had a homogeneous dispersion and a uniform distribution in the scaffolds. The in vitro biocompatibility with osteoblast-like MG-63 cells showed that the scaffolds could significantly promote the proliferation of cells and could be used as a biomedical material. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.