Magnetic biodegradable Fe3O4/CS/PVA nanofibrous membranes for bone regeneration

In recent years, interest in magnetic biomimetic scaffolds for tissue engineering has increased considerably. The aim of this study is to develop magnetic biodegradable fibrous materials with potential use in bone regeneration. Magnetic biodegradable Fe3O4/chitosan (CS)/poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibrous membranes were achieved by electrospinning with average fiber diameters ranging from 230 to 380 nm and porosity of 83.9-85.1%. The influences of polymer concentration, applied voltage and Fe3O4 nanoparticles loading on the fabrication of nanofibers were investigated. The polymer concentration of 4.5 wt%, applied voltage of 20 kV and Fe3O4 nanoparticles loading of lower than 5 wt% could produce homogeneous, smooth and continuous Fe3O4/CS/PVA nanofibrous membranes. X-ray diffraction (XRD) data confirmed that the crystalline structure of the Fe3O4, CS and PVA were maintained during electrospinning process. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) demonstrated that the Fe3O4 loading up to 5 wt% did not change the functional groups of CS/PVA greatly. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed islets of Fe3O4 nanoparticles evenly distributed in the fibers. Weak ferrimagnetic behaviors of membranes were revealed by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) test. Tensile test exhibited Young's modulus of membranes that were gradually enhanced with the increase of Fe3O4 nanoparticles loading, while ultimate tensile stress and ultimate strain were slightly reduced by Fe3O4 nanoparticles loading of 5%. Additionally, MG63 human osteoblast-like cells were seeded on the magnetic nanofibrous membranes to evaluate their bone biocompatibility. Cell growth dynamics according to MTT assay and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation exhibited good cell adhesion and proliferation, suggesting that this magnetic biodegradable Fe3O4/CS/PVA nanofibrous membranes can be one of promising biomaterials for facilitation of osteogenesis.