A ternary nanocomposite fibrous scaffold composed of poly(ε-caprolactone)/Gelatin/Gehlenite (Ca2Al2SiO7): Physical, chemical, and biological properties in vitro

Scaffolds are regarded as 3D substrates providing an appropriate environment through which the cells attachment, proliferation, and differentiation rate can be accelerated; based on their application, these scaffolds must have certain characteristics like suitable mechanical properties and porosity, desired degradation rate, and cell compatibility. In the present study, a novel nanocomposite fibrous scaffold composed of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL)/Gelatin (GT)/Gehlenite (GLN) nanoparticles was fabricated through electrospinning method. Different weight ratios of GLN nanoparticles in the fibrous scaffolds were added and optimized and a series of samples including PCL, PCL/GT, and PCL/GT/GLN scaffolds were constructed in order to reach a better comparison between the scaffolds. It turned out that 7% was the optimized GLN weight ratio to be included into the scaffolds without destroying the fibers structure. Different characterization techniques were applied to assess the physical and chemical properties of scaffolds. Moreover, the scaffolds' degradation rate, bioactivity potential, cell viability, attachment, DAPI and Alizarin staining, and ALP activity were assessed in vitro as well. The overall results indicate that the ternary scaffold (PCL/GT/GLN7%) has a promising potential for bone tissue regeneration.