Chitosan/alginate bionanocomposites adorned with mesoporous silica nanoparticles for bone tissue engineering

The regeneration of oral and craniofacial bone defects ranging from minor periodontal and peri-implant defects to large and critical lesions imposes a substantial global health burden. Conventional therapies are associated with several limitations, highlighting the development of a unique treatment strategy, such as tissue engineering. A well-designed scaffold for bone tissue engineering should possess biocompatibility, biodegradability, mechanical strength, and osteoconductivity. For this purpose, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) were synthesized and incorporated at different ratios (10, 20, and 30%) into alginate/chitosan (Alg/Chit)-based porous composite scaffolds fabricated through the freeze-drying method. The MSN incorporation significantly improved the mechanical strength of the scaffolds while showing a negligible decreasing effect on the porosity. All of the samples showed desirable swelling behaviors, which is beneficial for cell attachment and proliferation. The MSN-containing scaffolds indicated a decreased hydrolytic degradation in an MSN percentage-dependent manner. The fabricated scaffolds did not depict cytotoxic characteristics. The Alg/Chit/MSN30 scaffolds not only showed noncytotoxic properties, but also increased the cell viability significantly compared to the control group. The biomineralization properties of the MSN-containing nanocomposite scaffolds were significantly higher than the Alg/Chit composite, suggesting the potential of these nanoparticles for bone tissue engineering applications. Taken together, it is concluded that the Alg/Chit/MSN30 scaffolds are considerable substances for bone tissue regeneration, and MSN has a great tissue engineering potential in addition to its extensive biomedical applications. Graphical abstract