Electrospun hydroxyapatite grafted poly(l-lactide)/poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanofibers for guided bone regeneration membrane

Abstract To create new biodegradable guided bone regeneration (GBR) membranes, the composites of hydroxyapatite grafted poly( l -lactide) (HA-g-PLLA) nanoparticles and poly ( l -lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) were prepared by electrospinning, and their corresponding properties were evaluated including morphology, thermodynamics, mechanics, wettability, degradation, bioactivity, and biocompatibility. At 5 wt% HA-g-PLLA, the nanoparticles evenly distributed in the fibers and the composite fiber membranes showed higher strength properties compared to pristine PLGA and HA/PLGA. However, as the HA-g-PLLA content increased, the nanoparticles began to aggregate, which resulted in the deterioration of mechanics properties of the composite fiber membrane. The degradation and bioactivity of the composite fiber membrane were depended strongly on the HA-g-PLLA contents. With HA-g-PLLA contents going up, degradation rate speeded up due to the increased wettability of the composite fibers and the decreased crystallinity of PLGA matrix. The analysis for different soaking periods in SBF demonstrated the growth of a hydroxyapatite-like layer on the composite surfaces. The biocompatibility of the composite fiber membranes were assessed by the cell attachment. The osteoblasts adhered and spread on the composite membranes of 20 wt% HA-g-PLLA were higher than the other composites. These results suggested that the bioresorbable HA-g-PLLA/PLGA composite fiber membranes could be utilized for GBR therapy.