Evaluation of mechanical and biocompatibility properties of hydroxyapatite/manganese dioxide nanocomposite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering application

The aim of this research was to evaluate the mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and degradation behavior of scaffolds made of pure hydroxyapatite (HA) and HA-modified by MnO2 for bone tissue engineering applications. HA and MnO2 were developed using sol-gel and precipitation methods, respectively. The scaffolds properties were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microcopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The interaction of scaffold with cells was assessed using in vitro cell proliferation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assays. The obtained results indicate that the HA/MnO2 scaffolds possess higher compressive strength, toughness, hardness, and density when compared to the pure HA scaffolds. After immersing the scaffold in the SBF solution, more deposited apatite appeared on the HA/MnO2, which results in the rougher surface on this scaffold compared to the pure HA scaffold. Finally, the in vitro biological analysis using human osteoblast cells reveals that scaffolds are biocompatible with adequate ALP activity.