Electrospinning has recently been recognized as a potential method for use in biomedical applications such as nanofiber-based drug delivery or tissue engineering scaffolds. The present study aimed to demonstrate the electrospinning preparation and suitability of β-tricalcium phosphate-modified aerogel containing polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan fibrous meshes (BTCP-AE-FMs) for bone regeneration under in vitro and in vivo conditions. The mesh physicochemical properties included a 147 ± 50 nm fibrous structure, in aqueous media the contact angles were 64.1 ± 1.7°, and it released Ca, P, and Si. The viability of dental pulp stem cells on the BTCP-AE-FM was proven by an alamarBlue assay and with a scanning electron microscope. Critical-size calvarial defects in rats were performed as in vivo experiments to investigate the influence of meshes on bone regeneration. PET imaging using 18F-sodium fluoride standardized uptake values (SUVs) detected 7.40 ± 1.03 using polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan fibrous meshes (FMs) while 10.72 ± 1.11 with BTCP-AE-FMs after 6 months. New bone formations were confirmed by histological analysis. Despite a slight change in the morphology of the mesh because of cross-linking, the BTCP-AE-FM basically retained its fibrous, porous structure and hydrophilic and biocompatible character. Our experiments proved that hybrid nanospun scaffold composite mesh could be a new experimental bone substitute bioactive material in future medical practice.
Keywords: aerogel; electrospinning; electrospun meshes; tissue engineering; β-tricalcium phosphate.