Fabrication and Evaluation of Surface and Biodegradable Properties of Polycaprolactone/Keratin Nanofibers Scaffolds containing Carbon Nanotube for Use in Bone Tissue Engineering

Designing scaffolds that possess superior physical properties with cell adhesion and proliferation capabilities significantly promotes bone tissue repair and regeneration. In this study, polycaprolactone (PCL)/keratin/ carbon nanotube (CNT) scaffold was fabricated using the electrospinning method for bone tissue engineering and the effects of CNTs on bone cells growth was evaluated. For this purposes, surface morphology, porosity, specific surface area, mechanical properties and functional groups of scaffolds were examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM), displacement liquid method, brunauer-emmett-teller (BET)test, tensile strength test and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. Due to the presence of CNTs in nanofibers, the average fibers diameter in scaffolds containing CNTs in comparison to the scaffold without CNT reduced from 138 nm to 75 nm and the specific surface of nanofibers containing CNT increased. Pore size of scaffold containing CNTs was calculated 680 mμ that this size can be proper for bone cell growth. Biodegradable behavior of scaffolds was determined by immersing samples in the PBS solution for 6 weeks that the results showed 50% degradation in CNT scaffolds. Also, bone cell viability and cell adhesion on scaffolds surface were evaluated via the MTT test and SEM. The presence of CNTs and keratin in scaffolds increased osteoblast cells' growth and proliferation. In conclusion, the findings demonstrated that PCL/keratin/CNT scaffolds can be suggested for bone tissue engineering applications.