Osteogenic activity of chitosan-based hybrid scaffold prepared by polyelectrolyte complex formation with alginate

A chitosan (CS)/alginate (AG) hybrid scaffold was prepared through solid state polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) formation. The PEC formation was confirmed by Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy. Positive von Kossa staining of calcium depositions appeared in a large area of the CS/AG PEC scaffold cultured with osteoblastlike KUSA-A1 cells. The alkaline phosphatase activity of the cells cultured in the CS/AG scaffold was higher than that of the cells in the CS/hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffold. The osteogenic activity of the CS/AG PEC scaffold was considered comparable to that of the CS/HA scaffold. These findings suggest that modification of CS-based scaffold by PEC formation have a significant effect on the cell behavior towards osteogenic differentiation and bone tissue regeneration.