Investigating of physical, mechanical, and biological properties of polyhydroxybutyrate-keratin/alumina electrospun scaffold utilized in bone tissue engineering

Abstract

Electrospun nanofiber scaffolds have a similar structure to extracellular matrix, leading to increased cell adhe-sion, proliferation, and migration. In this study, 1-5wt of alumina nanowires were added to polyhydroxybutyrate-keratin (PHB-K) solution, and the morphology of the electrospun scaffolds in terms of fiber diameter, porosity percentage, and the uniformity of the alumina nanowires distribution was evaluated by SEM. FTIR and raman tests were also used to evaluate the chemical bonds of nanofibers and the presence of alumina and keratin in electrospun scaffolds. The crystallinity of the scaffolds was also measured using DSC and confirmed by XRD. The increase of alumina augmented the crystallinity of scaffolds because alumina is a nucleating agent. The tensile strength of PHB-K scaffolds increased up to 3 fold in the presence of 3 wt of alumina.The MG63 cells survived, and the secretion of alkaline phosphatase and mineralization due to the presence of alumina was significantly higher than PHB and PHB-K scaffolds. Based on the results, the electrospun PHB-K/AL2O3 scaffolds are potential candidates for bone tissue engineering.