Porous Silk Fibroin/Alpha Tricalcium Phosphate Composite Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering: A Preliminary Study

Abstract:

Scaffolds with mechanical properties that mimic the tissue to be restored are critical to maintain the morphology and function of a scaffold after implantation and during tissue regeneration. Silk fibroin (SF), a protein from the Bombyx mori silk worm cocoon, is currently employed in the biomedical field and tissue engineering. The objective of this study was to construct three-dimensional porous silk fibroin/alpha tricalcium phosphate scaffolds for bone tissue engineering application. The scaffolds were fabricated using a solvent casting and salt leaching technique. The hybrid strain of degummed Thai silk fibroin, Nangnoi Srisaket 1 x Mor, was dissolved in hexafluoroisopropanol at 16% (w/v). Alpha tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP) was incorporated to produce 4, 8, 12, and 16 wt% solution and sucrose (particle size 250-450 μm; sucrose/silk fibroin = 8.5/1 w/w) was used as a porogen. The microstructure and pore size, calcium and phosphorus contents, and compressive modulus were evaluated. The scanning electron microscope images revealed the microstructure of scaffolds to be square shaped with continuous interconnected pores. The average pore size of the scaffolds was 265.70 + 67.45 μm. The scaffolds containing 8% (w/w) α-TCP exhibited the highest compressive modulus (64.84 + 16.65 kPa) and the highest calcium content. The results suggested that the scaffolds containing α-TCP may be a potential candidate for application in bone tissue engineering applications.

• Periodical: Key Engineering Materials (Volume 695)
• Pages: 164-169
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.695.164
• Online since: May 2016
• Authors: Woradej Pichaiaukrit*, Wiriya Juwattanasamran, Teerasak Damrongrungruang
• Keywords: Bone, Porous, Scaffold, Silk Fibroin, Tissue Engineering, Tricalcium Phosphate

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