ZnO-incorporated polyvinylidene fluoride/poly(ε-caprolactone) nanocomposite scaffold with controlled release of dexamethasone for bone tissue engineering

Here we report on the development of a hybrid nanofibrous scaffold made from polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibers embedding zinc oxide nanorods (ZnOns), and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) nanofibers incorporating dexamethasone (DEX)-loaded chitosan nanoparticles using dual-electrospinning method. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and tensile analysis were carried out for physiochemical characterization of the scaffolds, followed by DEX release profile. In addition, an MTT assay was conducted to assess the viability of mouse bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (mBMSCs) on the hybrid nanofibrous scaffold. Furthermore, the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of mBMSCs was identified as an early sign of osteogenic differentiation. Our findings show that piezoelectric components improved the mechanical capabilities, and controlled release of DEX enhanced osteogenic differentiation. Overall, hybrid nanofibrous scaffold composed of PVDF embedded with 3% ZnOns and PCL incorporated with 0.8% DEX-loaded chitosan nanoparticles proved to have superior cell support and proliferation, while showing acceptable differentiation potential and remarkable elastic modulus of 41.6 ± 12.4 MPa and therefore might be considered to have potential application in bone regeneration. Graphical abstract