Osteogenic and antibacterial scaffolds of silk fibroin/Ce-doped ZnO for bone tissue engineering

Sarfaraz, S. and Khan, A. and Hameed, F. and Arshad, A. and Mutahir, Z. and Zeeshan, R. and Ijaz, K. and Chaudhry, A.A. and Khalid, H. and Rehman, I. and Khan, A. (2023) Osteogenic and antibacterial scaffolds of silk fibroin/Ce-doped ZnO for bone tissue engineering. International Journal of Polymeric Materials and Polymeric Biomaterials, 72 (15). pp. 1205-1216. ISSN 0091-4037

Abstract

Among the most frequently encountered facial fractures orbital floor fractures are very common. The orbital floor fracture treatment is a challenging task due to critical size defects and intricate anatomy. Tissue engineering is a promising interdisciplinary field; providing alternate bone substitutes that act as bioactive materials to induce bone repair and growth. Nanoceria (cerium oxide nanoparticles) have excellent antibacterial properties by inducing H 2O 2 due to simultaneous changes in Ce 3+ and Ce 4+ oxidation states. In the current study, we have made-up various compositions of silk fibroin (SF) scaffolds incorporated with hydroxyapatite (HAp) and Ce-doped ZnO nanoparticles through the freeze gelation method. The composite scaffolds were characterized by using FT-IR and micro-CT techniques while mechanical stability was determined through the mechanical testing machine. The other studies performed were porosity, swelling behavior, degradation, and antibacterial studies. In vitro cell studies, including attachment of cell, the proliferation of the cell, and cytotoxicity were checked by using MC3T3-E1 preosteoblast lines of the cell. Favorable biocompatibility, attachment, and proliferation were observed. The porosity of composite scaffolds was found to be in the range of 50%–66% with an appreciable degradation rate. These novel composite scaffolds present promising candidates for craniofacial defects reconstruction.