The effect of natural fibres template on the chemical and structural properties of Biphasic Calcium Phosphate scaffold

Abstract

Porous biphasic bioceramics that contain hydroxyapatite and tricalcium phosphate were synthesized in this study using luffa cylindrical fibres (LCF) as the template. In addition to improving the pore structure, using this template led to a chemical coating of the pores internal surfaces by important minerals such as magnesium and phosphorous from the LCF residue. Evaluation of our preliminary results suggests promising applications in bone tissue engineering. The synthesized porous bioceramics were characterized in view of their microstructural, physical, and in vitro features. They showed a trimodal pore system comprising a nano-pore network, smaller macropore with diameters of 5 to 100 μm, and cylindrical macropores with diameters from 100 to 400 μm; and 75% of interconnected porosity was confirmed by Mercury intrusion porosimetry and SEM images. Enhanced cell adhesion of the internal pore surfaces generated long and extended cells inside the macropores. SEM images show how the cells adhered to bioceramic surfaces and developed cytoplasmic extensions. Their proliferation in vitro demonstrates that the scaffold architecture and mineral composition are suitable for mesenchymal stem cell seeding and growth.