In situ preparation of bacterial cellulose/hydroxyapatite scaffold in colloidal culture media containing gum tragacanth

The incorporation of hydroxyapatite (HA) into bacterial cellulose (BC) has become a promising approach in recent times to provide osteogenic abilities for BC scaffolds. In this study, gum tragacanth (GT) was added to the sugarcane juice media containing HA for bacterial cellulose cultivation to increase the attachment of the nanoparticles to cellulose fibers. The cellulose fibers experienced changes in fiber size and elemental compositions. The atomic % of Ca and P increased with increasing HA concentration in the BC culture media, with a significant amount higher in the GT sample. The viability of pre-osteoblast cells MC3T3 was higher in scaffolds with HA compared to the net BC. The alkaline phosphatase activities of the cells on the scaffolds during 21 days of cultivation confirmed the differentiation support of the BC/gum tragacanth/hydroxyapatite (BGA) scaffold. The use of colloidal media to attach nanoparticles on BC fibers is suggested as a promising approach to producing bioactive BC for biomedical applications.