β-Chitin hydrogel/nano hydroxyapatite composite scaffolds for tissue engineering applications

β-Chitin hydrogel/nano hydroxyapatite (nHAp) nanocomposite scaffolds were prepared by freeze-drying approach from the mixture of β-chitin hydrogel and nHAp in different concentrations such as 0.5 and 1%, respectively. The prepared nHAp and nanocomposite scaffolds were characterized using various modalities. Porosity, swelling ability, in vitro degradation, protein adsorption and biomineralization of the prepared composite scaffolds were evaluated. The composite scaffolds were found to have 70-80% porosity with well defined interconnected porous structure. The scaffolds also showed a swelling ratio of 15-20, controlled biodegradation of about 30-40% with enhanced protein adsorption. In addition, the cell viability, attachment and proliferation using MG 63, Vero, NIH3T3 and nHDF cells confirmed the cytocompatibility nature of the nanocomposite scaffolds with well improved cell attachment and proliferation. All these results essentially signify that this material can be a potential candidate for bone and wound tissue engineering applications.