Nanomedicine Journal

Nanomedicine Journal

Influence of chitosan/gelatin/zinc oxide nanoparticles on mechanical and biological properties of three-dimensional scaffolds for tissue engineering

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Parasto Hadaddi
Azadeh Asefnejad
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
10.22038/nmj.2025.77558.1892
Abstract
Objective(s): Herein, we investigated the effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles on the mechanical and biological properties of a three-dimensional (3D) scaffold. 
Materials and Methods:The scaffolds were printed using chitosan and different ratios of gelatin and coated with sodium alginate and different ratios of nanoparticles. Morphology was examined using optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM); and element specification was done using element identification analysis and element spotting (EDS and Map, repectively). The percentage of swelling and biodegradability was investigated by placing the samples in phosphate buffered salt solution. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to investigate functional groups. The mechanical properties of the scaffolds were determined using the tensile test and their biological properties were determined using the biocompatibility and percentage of cell viability. 
Results: SEM images showed that the pores were filled during the printing proces due to the concentration and viscosity of the materials. Amide I, Amide III, and N-H groups were detected by FTIR analysis. The highest swelling for 1Cs:3G and 1Cs:1G /0.5ZnO scaffolds was 392 and 154%, respectively. The highest degradability in 15 days was obtained for 1Cs:1G/0.5ZnO scaffold as 58%. The tensile strength and Young’s modulus for 1Cs:1G/0.5Zn scaffold were 77.07 mm and 61.2 MPa, respectively. prolonged drug release profiles with implants, scaffolds, and hydrogels. 
Conclusion: The percentage of cell survival for 1Cs:1G/0.5ZnO scaffold was 98.44%. According to the studies, 1Cs:1G/0.5ZnO scaffold has good biological and mechanical properties, presenting it as a useful candidate for tissue engineering.
Keywords
Zinc oxide nanoparticles
Three-dimensional scaffold
Mechanical properties
Biological properties
Tissue engineering
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Nanomedicine Journal
Volume 12, Issue 3
Summer 2025
Pages 465-472