title: Boron nitride nanotubes enhance properties of chitosan-based scaffolds.
abstract: With their low toxicity, high mechanical strength and chemical stability, boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are good candidates to enhance the properties of polymers, composites and scaffolds. Chitosan-based scaffolds are exhaustively investigated in tissue engineering because of their biocompatibility and antimicrobial activity. However, their spontaneous degradation prevents their use in a range of tissue engineering applications. In this study, hydroxylated BNNTs (BNNT-OH) were included into a chitosan scaffold and tested for their mechanical strength, swelling behavior and biodegradability. The results show that inclusion of BNNTs-OH into the chitosan scaffold increases the mechanical strength and pore size at values optimal for high cellular proliferation and adhesion. The chitosan/BNNT-OH scaffold was also found to be non-toxic to Human Dermal Fibroblast (HDF) cells due to its slow degradation rate. HDF cell proliferation and adhesion were increased as compared to the chitosan-only scaffold as observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and fluorescent microscopy images.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yeditepe University, Ataşehir, Istanbul 34755, Turkey.
authors.forename: Melis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Emanet
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yeditepe University, Ataşehir, Istanbul 34755, Turkey.
authors.forename: Emine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kazanç
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yeditepe University, Ataşehir, Istanbul 34755, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zehra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Çobandede
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yeditepe University, Ataşehir, Istanbul 34755, Turkey. Electronic address: mculha@yeditepe.edu.tr.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Çulha
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D001896:Boron Compounds / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000737:chemistry*; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D001896:Boron Compounds; C017282:boron nitride; D048271:Chitosan
keywords: Cell adhesion; Chitosan; Hydroxylated boron nitride nanotubes; Mechanical strength; Scaffolds