Method: The nanofibrous gelatin/silica scaffolds were prepared by combining a sol-gel process with a thermally induced phase separation method. The composition and structure of the hybrid scaffolds were measured with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), and the surface morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). hDPSCs were seeded onto the scaffolds and cultured under different media for odontogenic differentiation. For in vitro odontogenic differentiation study, alkaline phosphatase activity, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, von Kossa staining and calcium content were examined.
Result: With the addition of the silica bioactive glasses (<30% wt%), The gelatin/silica scaffolds retain nanofibrous architecture. The sol-gel process allowed the silica phase to be uniformly distributed in the gelatin nanofibers at the molecular level, which led to improved mechanical properties of the hybrid scaffolds. The hybrid scaffold showed excellent biocompatibility and significantly enhanced the odontogenic differentiation of the hDPSCs in vitro.
Conclusion: The biomimetic gelatin/silica hybrid scaffold is promising for dental-pulp tissue regeneration.