Synthesis, characterization and in vitro screening of a nano-hydroxyapatite/chitosan/Euryale ferox nanoensemble - an inimitable approach for bone tissue engineering

In order to explore novel synthetic bone scaffolds as part of our ongoing research in the field of bone tissue engineering, we have synthesized a biomimmetic, osteoinductive, tricomposite scaffold incorporating Euryale ferox (EF) with nano-hydroxyapatite and chitosan. The surface morphology of the resultant nanocomposite was visualized via SEM and TEM studies which exhibited a rougher surface of n-HA/CS/EF compared to the n-HA/CS nanocomposite with the particle size ranging between 15 and 20 nm. The n-HA/CS/EF scaffold was degraded up to (16.9 +/- 0.70)% in contrast to degradation of (7.4 +/- 0.2)% for n-HA/CS. The in vitro SBF study exhibited excellent biomineralization capacity for n-HA/CS/EF which was further elucidated using the ARS staining procedure. The MTT assay illustrated significantly better cell viability compared to the n-HA/CS nanocomposite. A comparatively better antibacterial activity of n-HA/CS/EF was observed against a number of bacterial pathogens. The osteogenic differentiation test (ALP assay) assessed the osteoconductivity of the n-HA/CS/EF nanocomposite. Thus, the synthesized scaffold can be envisioned for potential use in reparation of bone defects.