Fabrication and properties of βTCP/Zeolite/Gelatin scaffold as developed scaffold in bone regeneration: in vitro and in vivo studies

Synthetic scaffolds, as an alternative to allograft and xenograft scaffolds, are suitable for bone regeneration. This study aimed to synthesize a composite biomaterial of zeolite and beta-tricalcium phosphate (pTCP) to obtain a biocompatible material with physical and mechanical properties in bone regeneration. One scaffold without zeolite (pZG 0) and two scaffolds with different amounts of zeolite (pZG 1 and pZG 2) were synthesized. The scaffolds were evaluated by FTIR, XRD, compressive strength test, MTT assay, and radiographic and histological analyses. The XRD results confirmed the presence of pTCP and ZSM-5 phases in the composite scaffolds and also, indicated that the addition of gelatin decrease the crystallinity of composite scaffolds. FTIR revealed the gelatin, p-TCP and ZSM-5 functional groups in the composite structure. pZG 2 group had the maximum porosity among the scaffolds (74%) ranging in size from 61-600 mu m. Compressive strength test showed that the Young's modulus changed from 23 MPa to 59 MPa, and the zeolite nanostructure was the most influential factor responsible for this change. The MTT assay showed the superiority of pZG 2, and the macroscopic and microscopic results at 4, 8, and 12 weeks revealed the maximum bone regeneration and formation of bone trabeculae in the pZG 2 and pZG 1 groups, respectively. The zeolite scaffold showed the superior mechanical, radiographic and histological properties compared with the control and non-zeolite scaffold. pTCP/ Zeolite/ Gelatin scaffold can be an appropriate candidate for medical application in bone regeneration. (c) 2020 Nalecz Institute of Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.