Opuntia ficus-indica L. Mill Nanofibers as a Potential Scaffold for Bone Regeneration

Abstract

Bone is the second most commonly transplanted tissue in the world due to bone loss, however, some aggressive effects have shown in the current alternatives for its treatment. Current research has been directed at the development of scaffolds with biocompatible materials, with the ability of assisting in the bone healing process and be resorbed in the body. This work focused on the development of an electrospun nanofiber mesh loaded with isorhamsnetin glycosides (IGs) from Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI) flour and its evaluation as scaffold for adhesion and maturation of human osteoblasts hFOB and its impact in bone regeneration in vitro by the assessment of mineralization markers. Electrospun nanofibers were developed with the parameters of 15 cm, 20kV, 1mL/h, followed by the addition of 10%, 30%, 50% and 70% w/w of OFI flour. Next, the fibers were characterized chemical and morphologically by FTIR and SEM, and its swelling capacity and degradation rate, as well as its release kinetics were assessed. Finally, biological assays in vitro were carried: cell cytotoxicity, calcium deposition and ALP activity. The best nanofiber obtained was PLA loaded with 70% w/w of OFI flour since it presented characteristics such as fiber alignment and smooth surface. It had a content of 904.33 μg IsoEq/g fiber and 14.9% release rate of IGs in 48h, a swelling ratio of 89.99% after 24h and 13.03% of degradation rate in 48h. It didn’t show significant cytotoxicity and had evidence of mineralization and calcium deposition, so it can be considered as scaffold for adhesion and maturation of human osteoblasts hFOB and its impact in bone regeneration in vitro.