FABRICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PHOTO-CROSS-LINKABLE NANOCOMPOSITE SCAFFOLDS FOR BONE TISSUE ENGINEERING

Abstract

The large-scale bone defect is one of the biggest challenges in orthopedic surgery. Here, we proposed to use the photocrosslinkable nanocomposites for the fabrication of the bone scaffold and artificial periosteum. Firstly, we prepared nanocomposite ink composed of tri-block polymer and methacrylated hydroxyapatite (nHAMA). Such ink exhibited a remarkable shear-thinning behavior and was desirable for 3D printing. Then, we used the methacrylated gelatin (GelMA) and nHAMA for the fabrication of the microfibrous membrane as the artificial periosteum. We demonstrated that GelMA-nHAMA membranes with enhanced mechanical properties could promote osteogenesis and angiogenesis both in vitro and in vivo because of the mechanical stimulation. Finally, we fabricated microfibrous membranes consisting of GelMA, arginine based unsaturated poly(ester amide) (Arg-UPEA) and nHAMA. The Ca ions released from nHAMA and L-arginine released from the Arg-UPEA can activate the NO-cGMP signaling pathway as the biochemical stimulation to further improve the synchronous osteogenesis and angiogenesis.