Hamadan University of Medical Sciences Avicenna Journal of Dental Research 2423-7582 18 1 2026 03 29 Development and Characterization of Polycaprolactone Nanofibers Adorned with Gold Nanostars for Dental Bone Tissue Engineering 6 15 10.34172/ajdr.2338 EN Alireza Koushki Sonia Fathi‐Karkan Abolfazl Akbarzadah Parisa Besharati Saber Ganji Negar Sedghi Aminabad Shayesteh Fathi Maziar Malekzadeh Kebria Zahra Ebrahimvand Dibazar Seyedeh Parvaneh Moosavi Journal Article 10.34172/ajdr.2338 2025 03 15 2025 05 05 Introduction: Bone tissue engineering (BTE) provides an alternative to traditional treatments for severe bone defects that do not heal. Gold nanostructures enhance stem cell attachment to biocompatible scaffolds, thereby promoting their differentiation into osteoblasts. This study aimed to examine the use of electrospinning to create multilayered scaffolds that consist of polycaprolactone (PCl) and gold nanostars (GNSs). Methods: This study developed a nanofiber-based scaffold composed of PCl and GNSs to improve bone tissue regeneration in adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) of rats while reducing the reliance on osteogenic differentiation media. GNSs were manufactured by the co-precipitation process and subsequently characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Next, a PCl-nanofibrous (NF) containing GNSs was created using the process of electrospinning. The resulting scaffold was then analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, contact angle measurements, tensile stretching tests, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). ADSCs were subjected to treatment using PCl and PCl-GNS scaffolds for 1–3 weeks, both with and without the presence of osteogenic media conditions. Results: 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 demonstrated 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. Finally, GNSs enhanced the strength, wettability, porosity, and biocompatibility of the NF scaffold. Conclusion: The findings confirmed that incorporating GNSs into the PCl matrix can enhance the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells, suggesting its potential application in BTE. This phenomenon has the potential to 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.