Reabsorbable polymer fibers coated with bioactive glass obtained by electrospinning/electrospraying: in vitro and in vivo studies

Abstract

The tissue engineering field faces numerous challenges, including the development of biomaterials that are easy to produce, handle, and have mechanical and structural characteristics that resemble biological materials. In this scenario, polymeric biomaterials have been widely studied as matrices for three-dimensional scaffolds in tissue replacement. To remedy the limitations of these polymers, such as low bioactivity and hydrophobic surface, these materials can be associated with bioglasses, which have excellent bioactivity. In this study, three-dimensional scaffolds of poly (lactic acid) and polycaprolactone will be associated with 58S bioglass and produced by means of the simultaneous electrospinning /electrospraying technique and characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy. Subsequently, the in vitro study will be performed, in which osteoblasts from mesenchymal cells isolated from rat femurs will be obtained. After cell differentiation, cell morphology analysis will be performed using scanning electron microscopy, cell viability test, total protein content, alkaline phosphatase activity and formation of mineralization nodules. For the in vivo study, 12 male Wistar rats will be used, which will be submitted to bilaterally making the critical bone defect in the tibias, with n=6 for each filling subgroup. In the left tibia, the defects will be filled with the experimental materials: a) PLA/PCL; b) PLA/PCL/ 58S bioglass and on the right side all groups will be filled with clot. After 4 weeks, the animals will be euthanized and the area of bone repair in the tibias will be evaluated through histological and histomorphometric analysis. The data will be statistically analyzed, initially through the normality test aiming at the application of the appropriate statistical test. The significance level adopted will be the conventional value of 5%. (AU)