Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) containing biomaterial with enhanced mechanical properties for the potential orthopedic application were synthesized and investigated. X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence analysis were indications of the formation of calcium-deficient (Ca/P = 1.65) hydroxyapatite (HA) with a small carbonate content under influence of microwave irradiation. The investigated mechanical properties (maximal relative deformation, compressive strength and Young's modulus) of SWCNT loaded HA-alginate composites confirm their dependence on SWCNTs content. The compressive strength of HA-alginate-SWCNT and the HA-alginate control (202 and 159 MPa, respectively) lies within the values characteristic for the cortical bone. The addition of 0.5% SWCNT, in relation to the content of HA, increases the Young's modulus of the HA-alginate-SWCNT (645 MPa) compared to the SWCNT-free HA-alginate sample (563 MPa), and enhances the material shape stability in simulated physiological conditions. Structural modeling of HA-alginate-SWCNT system showed, that physical adsorption of SWCNT into HA-alginate occurs by forming triple complexes stabilized by solvophobic/van der Waals interactions and H-bonds. The high-performance liquid chromatography demonstrated the influence of SWCNTs on the sustained anaesthesinum drug (used as a model drug) release (456 h against 408 h for SWCNT-free sample). Cell culture assay confirmed biocompatibility and stimulation of osteoblast proliferation of 0.05% and 0.5% SWCNT-containing composites during a 3-day cultivation. All these facts may suggest the potential possibility of using the SWCNT-containing materials, based on HA and alginate, for bone tissue engineering.
Keywords: Alginate; Drug release; Hydroxyapatite; Mechanical properties; Single-walled carbon nanotubes.