bFGF-loaded HA-chitosan: a promising scaffold for periodontal tissue engineering.

A scaffold containing growth factors promoting regeneration may be a useful device to maintain periodontal regeneration when applied with appropriate cells. The aim of this study is to evaluate the convenience of chitosan and hydroxyapatite (HA)-chitosan scaffolds loaded with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) for periodontal tissue engineering applications. Scaffolds were fabricated by freeze-drying technique using 2 and 3% chitosan gel in the absence or presence of HA particles. Addition of HA beads to chitosan gels produced a novel scaffold in which the pore sizes and interconnectivity were preserved. The scaffolds were loaded with 100 ng bFGF by embedding technique. HA-chitosan scaffolds provide better controlled release kinetics for bFGF compared with chitosan scaffolds and total release continued up to 168 h. Cell culture studies were carried out with periodontal ligament (PDL) cells and cementoblasts. Both 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and confocal laser scanning microscope analysis revealed cells proliferating inside the scaffolds. The results demonstrated that bFGF-loaded HA-chitosan scaffolds provide a suitable three-dimensional environment supporting the cellular structure, proliferation, and mineralization.