Glucose cross-linked hydrogels conjugate HA nanorods as bone scaffolds: Green synthesis, characterization and in vitro studies

In the expanding field of tissue engineering (TE), improvement of biodegradability and osteoconductivity of biomaterials are required. The use of non-toxic reagents during manufacturing processes is also necessary to decrease toxicity and increase cell viability in vivo. Herein, we present a novel approach to prepare hydroxyapatite (HA) nanorods from sea bio-wastes through a green and eco-friendly wet-chemical processing for bone TE. Highly porous natural polymer-ceramic nanocomposites made of HA, gelatin (Ge) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) hydrogels are then introduced. It was found that cross-linking of the hydrogel matrix by glucose as a green reagent affected all characteristics of the scaffolds including pore size, swelling, biodegradability, and mechanical properties. The homogeneous microstructure with pore sizes in the range of 100–200 μm were attained at 10–20 wt% glucose concentration. With regard to stability and swelling in phosphate buffer saline (PBS), however, more glucose concentrations were desirable. The high biocompatibility and osteoblast activity of the scaffolds were assayed by MTT and calcium content on cell-cultured scaffolds with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The developed CMC/Ge hydrogels modified with bio-derived HA nanorods have a great potential to be used for non-load bearing applications in bone TE.