Bioactive Glass-Ceramic Scaffolds Coated with Hyaluronic Acid-Fatty Acid Conjugates: A Feasibility Study

• Published in: Journal of functional biomaterials 2023-01, Vol.14 (1), p.26
• Main Authors: De Luca, Stefania, Verdoliva, Valentina, Kargozar, Saeid, Baino, Francesco
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; Apatite; bioactive glass; bioactivity; Biocompatibility; Bioglass; Biological activity; Biological products; Biomaterials; Biomedical materials; Body fluids; Bone healing; Bones; Carbon; Ceramic coatings; coating; Coatings; Conjugates; Deposition; Fatty acids; Feasibility studies; Glass ceramics; green synthesis; Hyaluronic acid; Hydroxyapatite; Immersion; In vitro methods and tests; Infrared analysis; Morphology; Palmitic acid; Polymer coatings; Pore size; scaffold; Scaffolds; Silicon compounds; Sintering (powder metallurgy); Spectrum analysis; Stem cells; Struts; Surgical implants; Tissue engineering; Wound healing
• ISSN: 2079-4983; 2079-4983
• DOI: 10.3390/jfb14010026

Promoting bone healing is a key challenge in our society that can be tackled by developing new implantable biomaterials provided with regenerative properties. In this work, the coating of three-dimensional porous glass-derived scaffolds with hyaluronic acid (HA)-fatty acids was investigated for the first time. The starting scaffolds, based on bioactive silicate glass, were produced by foam replication followed by sintering; then, HA-palmitate and HA-oleate conjugate coatings were deposited on the scaffold struts through a dipping procedure. FT-IR analysis confirmed the successful deposition of the coatings on the surface and struts of the scaffolds, the foam-like architecture of which was maintained as assessed by SEM investigations. The in vitro bioactivity of the HA-fatty-acid-coated scaffolds was studied by immersion tests in simulated body fluid and the subsequent evaluation of hydroxyapatite formation. The deposition of the polymeric coating did not inhibit the apatite-forming ability of scaffolds, as revealed by the formation of nanostructured hydroxyapatite agglomerates 48 h from immersion. These promising results motivate further investigation of these novel bioactive systems, which are expected to combine the bone-bonding properties of the glass with the wound-healing promotion carried out by the polymeric conjugates.