Nanofibrous polysaccharide hydroxyapatite composites with biocompatibility against human osteoblasts

Regenerative medicine has a high demand for defined scaffold materials that promote cell growth, stabilize the tissue during maturation and provide a proper three dimensional structure that allows the exchange of nutrients. In many instances nanofiber composites have already shown their potential for such applications. This work elaborates the development of polysaccharide based nanofibers with integrated hydroxyapatite nanoparticles. A detailed study on the formation of electrospun nanofibres from aqueous mixtures of carboxymethyl cellulose polyethylene oxide was performed. The influence of different processing conditions and spinning solution properties using a nozzle-less electrospinning device was systematically studied. Optimized parameters were used to incorporate hydroxyapatite nanoparticles into the fibers. Nanofibers were additionally hydrophobized with alkenyl succinic anhydride (ASA) to render them insoluble in water. The nanofiber webs were thoroughly investigated with respect to morphology, chemical composition and inorganic content. Time dependent bio-compatibility testing of the materials with human bone-derived osteoblasts showed no significant reduction in cell viability for the developed materials composed of carboxymethyl cellulose/polyethyleneoxide. Cells grown on hydrophobized materials show similar viability as those grown on a commercial collagen/apatite matrix.