Synthesis and investigations of mineral ions-loaded apatite from fish scale and PLA/chitosan composite for bone scaffolds

In this study, composite scaffolds consisting of mineral ion-loaded hydroxyapatite derived from fish scale (mHAFS) in a poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/chitosan (Chi) matrix (mHAFS@PLAChi) were fabricated by an in situ blending technique. Mineral ion loaded HAFS was successfully converted into mHAFS via the hydrothermal heating of HAFS in a SBF (simulated body fluid) solution. The composite mHAFS with PLAChi showed a compressive strength of 20 MPa and a compressive modulus of 539.88 MPa with a microporous structure. In vitro investigation showed that the UMR-106 cells adhered well and proliferated on the mHAFS@ PLAChi surface. Most importantly it improved the cell viability and alkaline phosphate (ALP) activity. These findings suggest that these synthesized materials have great potential for use in bone tissue engineering. (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V.