Evaluation of antibacterial and biocompatibility properties of PCL/TiO2 nanocomposite scaffold

Aim and Background: The main objective of the current study is to explore the effect of TiO2 nanoparticles addition with different contents on the cytotoxicity and antibacterial properties of PCL nanofibrous scaffolds. Methods: Different amounts of TiO2 NPs (0- 1 w/v %) were incorporated into the polymer blend to form a homogenous nanocomposite solution. nanofibrous scaffolds were prepared using electrospinning. Results and discussion: The experimental results exhibited that the hydrophilicity of the scaffolds was improved by incorporating TiO2 NPs. Moreover, Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) was used to investigate the bioactivity and biocompatibility of scaffolds. The MTT assay results showed no toxicity effect for scaffolds. However, releasing reactive oxygen at the highest concentration of TiO2 was remarkably increased, resulting in cell toxicity. Incorporating about 0.6% of TiO2 into the composite inhibits bacterial growth. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that incorporating TiO2 nanoparticles in the PCL blend has the potential for further study around hard tissue engineering applications.