Nano-hydroxyapatite bioactive glass composite scaffold with enhanced mechanical and biological performance for tissue engineering application

Abstract Composite biomaterials can improve the mechanical and biological properties of ceramic scaffolds for bone tissue engineering application. In this study hydroxyapatite (HAp), and bioactive glass ceramics were synthesized by co-precipitation and ultrasound assisted sol-gel method. The synthesized HAp (80 wt.-%) and bioglass (15 wt.-%) bioceramics were further used with aluminum oxide (3 wt.-%) and starch (2 wt%) to prepare a composite biomaterial. The composite biomaterial was finally used to fabricate scaffold materials by employing nontoxic binder mediated gel-casting approach. The synthesized composite material and developed scaffolds were characterized through different physical, chemical, and morphological analyses, mechanical study, and in vitro biological assays. The synthesized scaffold exhibited 20–25% porosity, with a high compressive strength of ~ 157 ± 2 MPa, and Tensile strength of ~ 83 ± 2 MPa after sintering at 1200 °C for 2 h. The in vitro biological study confirmed the nontoxic behavior of the composite biomaterial and developed scaffolds with MG-63 osteoblast-like cell line. The developed composite scaffold facilitated new cell attachment, growth, and proliferation on its surface, all of which correlates with good osteoconductive properties. The developed scaffolds effectively simulated the morphology, porosity, mechanical property, and bioactivity of the bone structure for load-bearing tissue engineering application.