A novel nano-hydroxyapatite - PMMA hybrid scaffolds adopted by conjugated thermal induced phase separation (TIPS) and wet-chemical approach: Analysis of its mechanical and biological properties

- Conjugated TIPS - wet chemical derived strategy was adopted for PMMA-nHAp composite scaffolds preparation.
- TIPS method was carried out by varying solvents such as acetone, isopropanol-water and ethanol-water mixtures.
- The impact of solvents on porosity and mechanical properties has been explored.
- The existence of nHAp in PMMA has improved in-vitro bioactivity through apatitic-flowers formation.
- Hemocompatibility of the scaffolds are in agreement with ASTM standards.

In this study, we report the preparation of nano-hydroxyapatite (nHAp) incorporated poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) scaffolds by conjugated thermal induced phase separation (TIPS) and wet-chemical approach, which essentially facilitates the enhancement of both mechanical as well as biological properties of the scaffolds. The dissolution of PMMA was accomplished by acetone (Ace scaffold), ethanol-water (E-W scaffold) and isopropanol-water (I-W scaffold) mixtures as solvents. The existence of nHAp in PMMA matrix was investigated systematically. The higher degree of porous architecture was achieved from Ace scaffolds compared to both I-W and E-W scaffolds. On the other hand, the dense porous architecture of the I-W scaffold exhibited superior hardness and compressive strength than that of the Ace and E-W scaffolds. All the fabricated samples demonstrated enhanced in vitro bioactivity with respect to increasing immersion period as a result of flower-like in vitro apatite layer formation. The MTT assay was carried out for 1 day and 3 day culture using Saos-2 osteoblast-like cells, which showed better cell proliferation with increasing culture period owing to the interconnected pore architecture of scaffolds and the rational hemocompatibility as per the ASTM standard F756-00.

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