Electrospun Bioresorbable Polymers/Bioactive Glass Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

Methods: Three glass compositions were produced, where calcium oxide was substituted with strontium oxide. Glass frits were processed to obtain particles with sizes <45 µm and the particulate was added to a polymer solution and then electrospun. Cytotoxicity tests of the composites were performed by assessing the metabolic activity of rat osteosarcoma (ROS) cells with the alamarBlue® dye. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive analysis (EDS) were used to characterise the materials. Solubility studies of the scaffolds were performed in distilled water at a temperature of 37°C for 7 days. Changes in pH were determined over time, and the scaffolds were assessed with SEM and EDS.

Results: SEM showed that filled fibres presented regions of increased diameter, where EDS confirmed the presence of particles. Cytotoxicity tests demonstrated that ROS cells were able to proliferate in the presence of the materials. SEM and EDS data suggested that glass particles were no longer detected within the fibres after 7 days immersion in water, with an associated increase in pH.

Conclusions: Electrospun polymer/strontium-substituted bioactive glass composites showed good in vitro biocompatibility, and glass particles may dissolve within the fibres, making it a promising material to be used as a scaffold in bone tissue engineering.