Collagen-hydroxyapatite coated unprocessed cuttlefish bone as a bone substitute

Cuttlefish bone is a calcium carbonate composite with a homogeneous, interconnected porous structure. The aim of this study was to investigate the potentiality of surface modified unprocessed cuttlefish bone as a bone substitute. For this purpose, the surface of unprocessed cuttlefish bone (CB) was modified with hydroxyapatite (HA) and collagen (COL). The internal lamellar matrix of cuttlefish bone was cut into small uniform blocks and kept submerged into simulated body fluid (SBF) to form a hydroxyapatite layer on the surface (CB-HA scaffold). Then it was coated with collagen using the freeze drying method (CB-HA-COL scaffold). Scaffolds were characterized morphologically. Biocompatibility of the scaffolds was tested using rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (RBMSCs). CB-HA-COL scaffold exhibited higher cell proliferation rate and alkaline phosphatase activity of RBMSCs in vitro conditions. These findings suggest that surface modified unprocessed cuttlefish bone can be beneficial for bone tissue engineering.