Porous structure of bioceramics carbonated hydroxyapatite-based honeycomb scaffold for bone tissue engineering

In this work, bioceramic carbonated hydroxyapatite (CHA) was synthesized from abalone mussel shells (Halioitis asinina) using a co-precipitation method; CHA-based scaffolds were fabricated with honeycomb (HCB) as the porogen agent. The concentration of HCB porogen varied among 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt%. The Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS) analysis revealed that the Ca/P molar ratio of CHA was 1.73, which was close to natural bone's Ca/P molar ratio of 1.71. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) tests revealed that the formed phase of the synthesized CHA was of the B-type. Analysis of the pores structure showed an increasing porogen concentration, pores size, and porosity of the scaffold. The addition of HCB porogen also decreased the crystallite size. This was very good for bone growth because the low crystallinity created dislocations, making it easier for cells to proliferate. Based on the results of cell viability assay on scaffold CHA + HCB 40 wt%, the growth of MC3T3E1 cells was inhibited beginning at a scaffold concentration of 500 mu g/mL because the percentage of viability decreased to similar to 115 % and the IC50 value of MC3T3E1 cells on the scaffold to 691830.97 mu g/mL. Based on to the one-way ANOVA, those result reflected no statistically significant differences in the average of cell viability value in the five groups (p > 0.05). The cell metabolic activity and morphology of the CHA + HCB 40 wt% scaffold enable it to facilitate the attachment of MC3T3E1 cells on its surface. Thus, HCB 40 wt% was the best concentration to fabricate the scaffold based on the criteria for pores structure, crystallographic properties, chemical decomposition process and cell viability for biomedical applications.