Development and Characterization of Polycaprolactone Nanofibers Adorned with Gold Nanostars for Dental Bone Tissue Engineering

Abstract

The bone tissue engineering (BTE) technique has been proposed as a substitute for traditional treatments in cases of extensive non-healing bone abnormalities. Gold nanostructures enhance the ability of stem cells to attach to biocompatible scaffolds, leading to the development of these cells into osteoblasts. Moreover, the osteogenic differentiation media are costly, and any alterations in its composition have an impact on the differentiation of stem cells. Furthermore, media growth factors have a brief half-life, leading to the quick deterioration of their activity within a living organism. In this study, we created a nanofiber-based scaffold that contained polycaprolactone (PCL) and gold nanostars (GNSs). This scaffold's purpose was to enhance bone tissue growth in rat ADSCs while using the least amount of osteogenic differentiation media. GNSs were manufactured by the co-precipitation process and subsequently characterized using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Dynamic Light Scattering DLS. Subsequently, a PCl-NF containing GNSs was created using the process of electrospinning. The resulting scaffold was then analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle measurements, tensile stretching tests, and FTIR. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) were subjected to treatment using PCl and PCl-GNSs scaffolds for 1-3 weeks, both with and without the presence of osteogenic media conditions. An assessment was conducted to determine the vitality of the cells, their compatibility with blood, and their ability to differentiate into bone cells. The TEM and DLS results revealed that GNSs were produced as particles with a size range of 63 nm. The SEM scans revealed that the manufactured NF scaffolds were composed of nanofibers of 200-500 nm in size. FTIR spectroscopy investigation indicated that the natural structure of PCl and GNSs remained intact during the electrospinning process. In addition, GNSs enhanced the NF scaffold's strength, wettability, porosity, and biocompatibility. These data suggest that the presence of GNSs in the PCl enhances the process of osteogenic differentiation in medium circumstances without osteogenic signals. This phenomenon can potentially be applied in living organisms to facilitate the mending of bone defects. The results of this study suggest that combining PCl with GNSs can enhance the effectiveness of composite scaffolds in BTE therapies.

Keywords: Nanofiber, Polycaprolactone, Gold Nanostar, ADSCs, Differentiation