Deposition of superparamagnetic nanohydroxyapatite on iron–fibrin substrates: Preparation, characterization, cytocompatibility and bioactivity studies

In the present study, nanosized hydroxyapatite (nHAp) was formed on iron–fibrin substrates and its physico-chemical properties were characterized. The prepared iron–fibrin–nanohydroxyapatite (IF–nHAp) composite was needle shaped with an average width of about 30 nm and length of 80 nm. The vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) was used to evaluate the superparamagnetic behavior of the nanocomposite, IF–nHAp. Hemolysis and ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay) were performed to evaluate the its bio/immunocompatibility and MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide) assay using osteoblast cells was performed to scrutinize its proliferative potential. Alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) and calcium deposition were studied to investigate the osteogenic property of the nanocomposite. RT-PCR (real time-polymerase chain reaction) was used to quantify the mRNA levels of ALP, OC (osteocalcin), and OPN (osteopontin) genes involved in the osteogenic differentiation and matrix mineralization. Further, the bone bonding ability of IF–nHAp was observed by the deposition of apatite layers on the composite incubated in simulated body fluid (SBF).