Fabrication and Evaluation of Silymarin-Enriched Tragacanth / Polycaprolactone Nanoscaffold Containing Dental Cells for Use in Tissue Engineering

Tissue engineering is a set of methods that can replace or repair damaged tissues with natural or artificial tissue. Tragacanth is a natural polymer that has excellent biological properties such as biodegradability and biocompatibility. Silymarin biochemically has cleansing and antioxidant properties and also has anti-inflammatory effects. The aim of this study is the production of polycaprolactone (PCL) / tragacanth / silymarin nanoscaffold and to investigate the biocompatibility of dental cells on it.

To create a polycaprolactone /tragacanth nanoscaffold and add silymarin to it, acetic acid was used to dissolve 7 percent of the polycaprolactone, 0.7 weight percent of the tragacanth solution, and 0.9 percent of the silymarin solution. The scaffold was then created using an electrospinning machine. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis and FTIR analysis were used to analyze the scaffold's chemical structure and shape, respectively.

The scaffold's correct porosity and the successful loading of silymarin on it were revealed by analyzing the scaffold's morphology and chemical composition. The biocompatibility of the scaffold was investigated 24, 48 and 72 hours after the cultivation of dental cells, and the results showed an increase in cell viability and proper attachment of cells on the scaffold.

The findings of this study demonstrated that silymarin loading on the polycaprolactone/catira scaffold improves dental cell proliferation and survival. This scaffold may therefore be a good choice for tissue engineering.