The Study of Zinc Oxide Addition into Hydroxyapatite/Chitosan Scaffold for Bone Tissue Engineering Application

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) and chitosan (CS) are known to be suitable to be used as the main matrices in scaffold fabrication due to its biodegradability and biocompatibility. However, biocompatibility contributes to the growth and development of bacteria. Therefore, the properties of these scaffolds can be improved by adding additional substance to the scaffold. In this study, antibacterial property was improved by adding zinc oxide into HAp/CS scaffold with concentration of 1%, 2%, and 3% by weight. These scaffolds were fabricated through freeze drying techniques in -80 degrees C. Chemical analysis, microstructure, and phase composition of these scaffolds were gone trough Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analisis (EDX) assays. Antibacterial examination was also carried out to study zinc oxide ability to inhibit bacteria growth in HAp/CS. These scaffolds showed antibacterial efficacy against Escherichia coli. In this analysis, zinc oxide concentration has a linear correlation to antibacterial activity, where each 1%, 2%, and 3% ZnO have inhibition zone diameter of 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 mm, respectively. This study showed a simple approach for developing bone scaffold with the addition of zinc oxide to enhance its antibacterial activity.