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Graphene oxide (GO) and nanohydroxyapatite (nHAp) proved to be a potential material for bone tissue-regeneration applications. Therefore, GO and nHAp reinforced porous polymeric nanocomposite scaffolds have been gaining significant research thrust. In this study, GO and nHAp based nanocomposite was synthesized and used as a reinforcing agent to develop gelatin-alginate (GA)-based three-dimensional porous polymeric nanocomposite scaffold. The polymeric nanocomposite scaffold (nHAp-GO/GA) was fabricated by using freeze-drying process, which may show a synergistic effect of each of the components for tissue regeneration. The scaffold demonstrates good physico-chemical properties. The porous microstructure of the scaffold is evidenced by Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). High swelling of the scaffold in presence water, indicates that the scaffold is highly hydrophilic, which implies the suitability of the scaffold for tissue regeneration. Further, the incorporation of nHAp-GO enhances the compressive strength of the scaffold while reduces the rate of biodegradation, which is good for bone tissue engineering. The scaffold is biocompatible. In vitro cell study with MG-63 bone cells demonstrates the synergistic effect of each of the components of the scaffold, on mineral deposition. Therefore, it can be concluded that nHAp-GO/GA polymeric nanocomposite scaffold can be a potential candidate for bone tissue regeneration.

The present work is focused on the development of gelatin-based scaffolds crosslinked through carbodiimide reaction and their bioactivation by two different methods: (i) surface modification by inorganic signals represented by hydroxyapatite nanoparticles precipitated on scaffold through biomimetic treatment; (ii) analog of BMP-2 peptide decoration. The results showed the effects of polymer concentration and crosslinking time on the physico-chemical, morphological, and mechanical properties of scaffolds. Furthermore, a comparative study of biological response for both bioactivated structures allowed to evaluate the influence of inorganic and organic cues on cellular behavior in terms of adhesion, proliferation and early osteogenic marker expression. The bioactivation by inorganic cues induced positive cellular response compared to neat scaffolds in terms of increased cell proliferation and early osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC), as evidenced by the Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression. Similarly BMP-2 peptide decorated scaffolds showed higher values of ALP than biomineralized ones at longer time. The overall results demonstrated that the presence of bioactive signals (either inorganic or organic) at nanoscale level allowed an osteoinductive effect on hMSC in a basal medium, making the modified gelatin scaffolds a promising candidate for bone tissue regeneration.