Biocomposite scaffolds containing chitosan/alginate/nano-silica for bone tissue engineering

Bone tissue engineering is a promising alternative method for treating bone loss by a combination of biomaterials and cells. In this study, we fabricated biocomposite scaffolds by blending chitosan (CS), alginate (Alg) and nano-silica (nSiO(2)), followed by freeze drying. The prepared scaffolds (CS/Alg, CS/Alg/nSiO(2)) were characterized by SEM, FT-IR and XRD analyses. In vitro studies such as swelling, biodegradation, biomineralization, protein adsorption and cytotoxicity were also carried out. The scaffolds possessed a well-defined porous architecture with pore sizes varying from 20 to 100 mu m suitable for cell infiltration. The presence of nSiO(2) in the scaffolds facilitated increased protein adsorption and controlled swelling ability. The scaffolds were biodegradable and the addition of nSiO(2) improved apatite deposition on these scaffolds. There was no significant cytotoxicity effect of these CS/Alg/nSiO(2) scaffolds towards osteolineage cells. Thus, these results indicate that CS/Alg/nSiO(2) scaffolds may have potential applications for bone tissue engineering. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.