Biological evaluation of the effects of Hyaluronic acid on Poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) based Electrospun Nanocomposite scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering application

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a nanocomposite scaffold using electrospinning of Poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), Chitosan (Cs), Multi Wall Carbon Nanotubes (MWNTs), and different concentrations of Hyaluronic Acid (HA). The results showed that an increasing in HA concentration from 0 to 15wt significantly increased the nanofibers diameter and hydrophilicity and insignificantly decreased the porosity and tensile strength of the nanocomposite scaffolds. The bioactivity and biodegradation assessment showed that PHB-Cs-MWNTs-HA 15 scaffold has proper bioactivity and biodegradability. These findings indicated that the incorporation of HA increased the hydrophilicity, and subsequently enhanced the biodegradation and the bioactivity of the nanocomposite scaffolds. In vitro cell culture studies showed that chondrocytes were able to attach onto the surface of electrospun scaffolds. These results clearly implied that the fabricated nanofibers can be effectively used as the cartilage tissue engineering and HA has positive effects on the biological properties of the nanocomposite scaffolds.