Innovative incorporation of pearl and calcium phosphate composite in bone regenerative scaffolds

Li, Zhiyi and Douglas, Timothy and Cheneler, David and Shepherd, Rebecca (2024) Innovative incorporation of pearl and calcium phosphate composite in bone regenerative scaffolds. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

Bone regeneration by tissue engineering has extensively employed hydroxyapatite (HA) for bone regeneration due to its positive biological properties. However, the high crystallinity of commercial HA results in a slower biodegradation rate. This study explored the incorporation of pearl powder with calcium phosphate. Two successful synthesis methods yielded pearl/CaP composite particles with different crystallinity, confirmed through XRD patterns. Physiochemical evaluations, including TGA, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, XRD, XPS, and SEM, provided a comprehensive understanding of structural aspects, revealing chemical bonding between pearl and HA particles. FTIR-PAS results confirmed the presence of both A and B types of carbonated HA. Integration of these particles with chitosan (CS) through freeze-drying produced composite scaffolds with enhanced compressive strength and improved cytocompatibility compared to HA-based CS scaffolds. In vitro cell culture analyses demonstrated a higher proliferation ratio for p/CaP composite scaffolds, especially a 30:70 pearl to CaP ratio. SEM analysis corroborated the positive crosslinking and osteogenesis performance of these scaffolds, emphasizing their potential in bone tissue engineering. However, scaffolds with a high pearl: CaP ratio (50:50) and elevated p/CaP concentrations (50 wt.%) exhibited poor or non-osteogenic behaviour, underscoring the importance of carefully balanced pearl: CaP ratios and p/CaP concentrations for effective osteogenesis.