Synthesis and Investigation into Apatite-forming Ability of Hydroxyapatite/Chitosan-based Scaffold ☆

In this study, porous scaffolds were fabricated using inorganic material-hydroxyapatite and chitosan for bone-tissue engineering. The combination of hydroxyapatite and chitosan may result in increasing biocompatibility of the scaffolds. The scaffolds were prepared by solvent casting and paticulate leaching method. Bioactivity of the scaffolds was evaluated through in vitro experiments by soaking scaffold samples in simulated body fluid (SBF). The scaffolds obtained were highly porous and interconnected with a mean pore size of around 200µm and porosity about 79 %. The apatite-mineral layer was produced on the HAp/chitosan after 10 days of soaking in SBF, however, it was not observed on the chitosan scaffold after 10 days soaking. The results revealed that the HAp/chitosan scaffold showed better bioactivity than the chitosan scaffold.