Electrospun scaffolds composing of alginate, chitosan, collagen and hydroxyapatite for applying in bone tissue engineering

In this study, a composite scaffold made of alginate (AL), chitosan (ChS), collagen (Col), and hydroxyapatite (HAp) was fabricated by electrospinning techniques. The distribution of each component of composite scaffold was revealed by confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) using fluorescent labeling polymers. The morphology and microstructure of the scaffold was examined using a field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). To mimic the stability of these scaffolds in physiological fluids, the degree of disintegration of collagen from these scaffolds in collagenase solution was also tested. The results showed that the composite scaffold can greatly reduce the disintegration by 35% for 10 days in collagenase solution. Therefore, this composite is expected to be a potential scaffold for bone tissue engineering applications. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.