Fabrication of Nanofibrous Hybrid Scaffolds from Polylactic Acid-Graphene and Gelatin for Application in Bone Tissue Engineering

Hypothesis: Among nanostructures, nanofibers and nanoparticles have a tremendous efficiency in tissue engineering and controlled release of drugs due to their high specific surface area and excellent biocompatibility. The production of nanofibrous scaffolds from polylactic acid (PLA), gelatin (Gel) and graphene (G) has been conducted in order to investigate their application in bone tissue engineering. The use of a combination of natural and synthetic polymers resulted in simultaneous use of the appropriate mechanical stability of PLA and the unique biological properties of Gel. The loading of graphene in the Gel/PLA structure caused the formation of nanofibrous mat with great resemblance to bone tissue. For the production of scaffolds from two mentioned polymers, the dual electrospinning method was applied. Gelatin solution was injected from a syringe and PLA or PLA-G solutions from another syringe. The morphological properties of the produced scaffolds showed that the addition of graphene to PLA solution reduced the diameter of the fabricated fibers, significantly. The addition of Gel to PLA and graphene to Gel/PLA decreased the contact angle of the samples. Gel/PLA-G hybrid nanofibers revealed good biocompatibility in the presence of human osteosarcoma cells, and no trace of cellular toxicity was observed. The cells grown on the scaffolds exhibited a spindle-like and broad morphology and almost uniformly covered the entire mat structure. The fabricated nanofibers due to smooth and nanofibrous morphology, good cellular behavior and higher hydrophilicity can be a good candidate for use in bone tissue.