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Lookup NU author(s): Đurđa Vukajlović, Dr Oana Bretcanu, Professor Katarina Novakovic
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As orthopaedic grafts are among the most required tissues for transplantation, synthetic bone implants are greatly needed to address shortcomings of natural bone implants such as lack of supply and negative immune response. Composite materials combining ceramics and polymers are of interest for the bone tissue applications due to their ability to imitate the structure of a human bone while degrading overtime to make room for the growth of a new bone. Chitosan is considered promising as the organic part of the composite because of its good biological properties, but also because its use is beneficial for the environment as it is a waste material in food industry. Bioglasses (BG) are widely recognized for their biocompatibility and bioactivity making them suitable for the inorganic part of the bone graft material. In this work, highly porous BG scaffolds are produced and coated with chitosan-based hydrogels. Scaffolds are made by using sponge replica method. Different heat treatments for producing scaffolds are evaluated and the most appropriate was chosen for further testing. The BG scaffolds were then immersed in hydrogel solutions for different times and polymerized at 37 °C. Properties of BG scaffolds before and after the coating were evaluated and compared. SEM images showed that the coating reduces the porosity as BG pores are filled with the hydrogel to some extent. However, the porosity remains high and suitable for blood flow and cell ingrowth in tissue applications. In terms of mechanical properties, the coated scaffolds showed superior compression stress when compared to the bare BG scaffolds.
Author(s): Vukajlovic Dj, Parker J, Bretcanu O, Novakovic K
Publication type: Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstract)
Publication status: Published
Conference Name: Chemical Engineering Day UK 2019
Year of Conference: 2019
Online publication date: 08/04/2019
Acceptance date: 03/03/2019
Publisher: IChemE
