Fabrication and characterization of calcium lactate gluconate electrospun novel fibrous sheet for bone tissue engineering

The periosteum is a thin layer that envelops the bone with a distinct structure and plays a crucial role in bone regeneration and remodelling. One of the vital goals in bone tissue engineering is the development of a bionic periosteum fibrous layer that could induce superior healing of the bone matrix, and numerous studies have explored utilising this for bone regeneration purposes. Diminished cellular proliferation, potential toxicity, unfavourable porosity, and expensive materials and procedures are a few of the research gaps that exist with respect to its regeneration. This study aims to address these issues and to develop a periosteum-mimicking scaffold by electrospinning method. Gelatin-based calcium lactate gluconate (CLG) scaffold was developed by electrospinning, and physicochemical assessment were done by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-Ray (EDX), X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared radiation (FTIR). In-vitro assays were performed using osteoblast-like cells (MG63) to induce osteogenic differentiation. Cell viability assay and mineralization assay was done using Acridine orange/Ethidium bromide dye and alizarin red staining respectively. The Gelatin-CLG scaffold surface was observed to be heterogeneous, with both smooth and rough textures with the absence of any crystals. EDX analysis confirmed the presence of calcium in the Gelatin-CLG scaffold. The addition of CLG to gelatin showed an alteration in the crystallinity property of the Gelatin-CLG scaffold compared to the gelatin scaffold. Cell viability assessment showed that a significant percentage of cells were viable on CLG scaffolds. An increasing trend in metabolic activity was noted in gelatin and Gelatin + 5% CLG scaffolds while non-significant change was noted in Gelatin + 10% CLG on Day 3 and 7. The index of mineralization was significant in the Gelatin-CLG scaffold compared to the gelatin scaffold on Day 7 and Day 14. This study suggests that the Gelatin-CLG fibrous scaffold has the potential to induce differentiation of osteoblast-like cells. However, further studies are warranted to use Gelatin-CLG as a potential candidate in tissue engineering applications.