The synergetic effect of bioactive ceramic and nanoclay on the properties of chitosan–gelatin/nanohydroxyapatite–montmorillonite scaffold for bone tissue engineering

The objective of this study was to develop a novel composite scaffold based on chitosan–gelatin/nanohydroxyapatite–montmorillonite (CS–Gel/nHA–MMT) with improved properties for use in tissue engineering applications. This composite scaffold was prepared via freeze–drying technique, using the ice particulates as the porogen material. The prepared composite scaffold was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The composite scaffold was highly porous with the pore size of 100–350 μm. In addition, the synergetic effect of nHA and MMT on physicochemical properties of the scaffold including swelling ratio, density, biodegradation, and mechanical behaviors were studied. The bioactivity study of the scaffold was carried out with the simulated body fluid solution (SBF) followed by the characterization with the SEM. Scaffolds in the presence of nHA and MMT showed a decreased degradation rate and increased biomineralization. Also good swelling and porosity characters of the composite scaffold caused to its improved mechanical properties. From the results it can be concluded that introducing MMT to scaffold matrix creates controllable condition to moderate the scaffold properties which is useful in bone tissue engineering applications.