Fabrication of Aligned Alanine Functionalized Hydroxyapatite Nanorods Embedded in Electrospun Gelatin Scaffolds as a Coating Material for Titanium Bone Implant Application

Abstract

Aligned calcium phosphate nanorods embedded in gelatin nanofibers were fabricated to be applied as a coating material on the Ti bone implant using the conventional electrospinning method. Calcium phosphate nanorods with a strong positively charged surface were prepared by modifying with alanine (alanine/HA) to facilitate the arrangement of nanoparticles under the electric field in the electrospinning process, followed by mild hydrothermal treatment to preserve the structure of fibers. Scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscope, and transmission electron microscope measurements confirmed that the composite fibers were smooth without the presence of particles on the surface and alanine/HA was aligned within the fiber. The tensile strength of the prepared scaffolds was identical to that of the cancellous bone (2 to 12 MPa). According to MTT assay, the scaffold coated Ti showed a significant improvement on cell adhesion and biocompatibility compared to uncoated Ti.