Osteoconductivity and Biodegradability of Collagen Scaffold Coated with Nano‐β‐TCP and Fibroblast Growth Factor 2

Nanoparticle bioceramics have become anticipated for biomedical applications. Highly bioactive and biodegradable scaffolds would be developed using nanoparticles of β ‐tricalcium phosphate ( β ‐TCP). We prepared collagen scaffolds coated by nano‐ β ‐TCP and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) and evaluated the effects on new bone augmentation and biodegradation. The collagen sponge was coated with the nano‐TCP dispersion and freeze‐dried. Scaffold was characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, compressive testing and cell seeding. Subsequently, the nano‐ β ‐TCP/collagen scaffold, collagen sponge, and each material loaded with FGF2 were implanted on rat cranial bone. As a control, no implantation was performed. Nano‐TCP particles were found to be attached to the fibers of the collagen sponge by SEM and TEM observations. Scaffold coated with nano‐TCP showed higher compressive strength and cytocompatibility. In histological evaluations at 10 days, inflammatory cells were rarely seen around the residual scaffold, suggesting that the nano‐TCP material possesses good tissue compatibility. At 35 days, bone augmentation and scaffold degradation in histological samples receiving nano‐ β ‐TCP scaffold were significantly greater than those in the control. By loading of FGF2, advanced bone formation is facilitated, indicating that a combination with FGF2 would be effective for bone tissue engineering.