Niobium pentoxide and hydroxyapatite particle loaded electrospun polycaprolactone/gelatin membranes for bone tissue engineering

This study developed electrospun polycaprolactone-gelatin membranes loaded with hydroxyapatite and varying amounts of niobium pentoxide for bone tissue engineering. The authors first optimized the polymer blend and then fabricated composite membranes containing 2 wt% hydroxyapatite with 0, 3, 7, or 10 wt% niobium pentoxide. The resulting membranes had uniform bead-free fibrous structures with average fiber diameters in the 123 to 157 nm range and remained hydrophilic because of the gelatin component. In simulated body fluid, particle-containing membranes promoted apatite formation, with the niobium-containing groups showing stronger calcium and phosphorus accumulation over time than the hydroxyapatite-only group. In vitro degradation studies showed that higher particle loading slowed scaffold degradation, which may help maintain scaffold support during bone regeneration. Saos-2 osteoblast-like cell assays demonstrated that niobium-containing membranes were non-cytotoxic and improved cell metabolism and alkaline phosphatase activity over time, particularly for the PGHANb-7 formulation. Overall, the work showed that hydroxyapatite and niobium pentoxide can be integrated into electrospun PCL/gelatin membranes to improve bioactivity and support osteogenic cell response for bone repair applications.