Evaluation of morphology and cell behaviour of a novel synthesized electrospun poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)/poly(vinyl alcohol)/hydroxyapatite nanofibers

Objective(s): Three-dimensional structures such as nanofibrous scaffolds are being used in biomedical engineering as well as provide a site for cells to attach and proliferate leading to tissue formation. In the present study, poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP)/ poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA) hybrid nanofibrous scaffold was synthesized by electrospinning. Materials and Methods: The effect of adding nano hydroxyapatite (n-HA) and also Epoxypropoxy-propyl-trimethoxysilane (EPPTMS) as a crosslinking agent on morphology and cell behaviour of the nanofibers was investigated.Results: Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations showed that all kinds of nanofibers represented uniform and well-ordered morphologies without formation of any beads by controlling the synthesis parameters. The average ûber diameter of PVP-PVA was 260 nm. n-HA was synthesized by wet chemical process. The synthesized n-HA was characterized by XRD for structural analysis. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) revealed that HA particles had nanosized dimensions (in the range of 40-100 nm). The presence of n-HA within electrospun PVP-PVA nanofibers was confirmed by XRD and Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses. The average ûber diameter was decreased to 136 nm when n-HA was added in the composition of PVP-PVA. FTIR analysis depicted that PVP-PVA nanofibers were linked to EPPTMS as a biocompatible material by the covalent bond. Although adding n-HA caused to decrease the diameter of PVP-PVA nanofibers, addition of EPPTMS within PVP/PVA/n-HA nanofibers induced increasing distribution of fiber diameter as it enhanced to 195nm. In addition, the proper proliferation of G292 osteoblastic cells without any cytotoxicity was observed for the nanofiber.Conclusion: Since these materials have been known as biomaterials, PVP/PVA/n-HA-EPPTMS nanofibers can be propounded as a good candidate for bone tissue engineering application.