Nanofiber Generation of Gelatin–Hydroxyapatite Biomimetics for Guided Tissue Regeneration

TLDR

Biomimetic bone matrices are a key objective in bone‑regeneration and tissue‑engineering, and nanocomposites of natural polymers with hydroxyapatite nanocrystals are considered promising bone‑regenerative materials. The study aimed to create a biomimetic nanocomposite with a novel nanofibrous structure using electrospinning. The HA‑gelatin nanocomposites were lyophilized, dissolved in an organic solvent, and electrospun under controlled conditions to form the fibers. The resulting nanofibers, with diameters of a few hundred nanometers and uniformly dispersed HA crystals, enhance bone‑derived cell activity compared to pure gelatin and enable fabrication of composition‑gradient membranes suitable for guided tissue regeneration.

Abstract

Abstract The development of biomimetic bone matrices is one of the major goals in the bone‐regeneration and tissue‐engineering fields. Nanocomposites consisting of a natural polymer and hydroxyapatite (HA) nanocrystals, which mimic the human bone matrix, are thus regarded as promising bone regenerative materials. Herein, we developed a biomimetic nanocomposite with a novel nanofibrous structure by employing an electrospinning (ES) method. The HA precipitate/gelatin matrix nanocomposites are lyophilized and dissolved in an organic solvent, and then electrospun under controlled conditions. With this process, we can successfully generate a continuous fiber with a diameter of the order of hundreds of nanometers. The internal structure of the nanofiber features a typical nanocomposite, i.e., HA nanocrystals well distributed within a gelatin matrix. These nanocomposite fibers improve the bone‐derived cellular activity significantly when compared to the pure gelatin equivalent. This method of generating a nanofiber of the biomimetic nanocomposite was effective in producing a biomedical membrane with a composition gradient, which is potentially applicable in the field of guided tissue regeneration (GTR).