Physicochemical properties of chitosan–hydroxyapatite matrix incorporated with Ginkgo biloba -loaded PLGA microspheres for tissue engineering applications

To investigate the potential of biomaterials for bone repair, Ginkgo biloba (GB)-loaded polylactic- co-glycolic acid microspheres were synthesized via solvent evaporation technique, and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) micrographs indicated a spherical and smooth surface in which the particles were distributed in the range of 1–7 µm. Chitosan–hydroxyapatite (HA) matrixes incorporated with polymeric spheres were fabricated using the freeze-drying method. SEM micrographs demonstrated an interconnected porous structure in which porosity and pore size reduced as a function of HA and microsphere addition. Fourier transform infrared spectrum illustrated the ability of sodium tripolyphosphate in cross-linking of composite scaffolds. Swelling ratio presented that higher amount of microspheres and the addition of HA reduce the ability of interaction with water molecules. The GB release behavior of hybrid scaffolds confirmed that the addition of HA significantly reduces release ratio because of a slight reduction in pore size and PBS absorption capacity, but higher amount of microspheres resulted in an increase in release level. According to the results, the synthesized hybrid scaffolds have the initial physicochemical features for further studies in terms of in vitro and in vivo assays.