New scaffolds for guided bone regeneration

Objective: The aim of this study was the development and characterization of new scaffolds from polycaprolactone (PCL) loaded with nano-hydroxyapatite (nHAP) and metronidazole (MET) for guided bone regeneration. Material and Methods: The scaffolds with different compositions (PCL, PCL-5%MET, PCL-5%nHAP-5%MET) were obtained through electrospinning. The morphology, fiber size, and mechanical properties of the obtained scaffolds were analyzed and described. The obtained results showed scaffolds with the typical electrospun architecture of randomly continuous oriented bead-free fibers. The fibers with a size between 0.6 and 11 pm, formed a porous structure. The mechanical properties showed results situated between 2.2 and 5.2 N for the force at maximum load, and for the Young modulus, the results were registered between 7 and 28 MPa. The highest value for stiffness was registered for the PCL scaffolds and was evaluated at 6650 N/m and the lowest value was certified for the PCL-5%nHAP-5%MET scaffolds at 1990 N/m. The tensile strength was registered to be between 1.05 and 2.4 MPa. In conclusion, the addition of MET lowered the fiber size and the addition of nHAP increased the size of the fibers. The size of the fiber affected the mechanical properties of the scaffolds. The obtained scaffolds could be promising in the field of guided bone regeneration, but further tests are necessary to prove their biological and antibacterial properties.