Abstract:
Tendon is type of ‗‘connective tissue‘‘, which has the unique purpose of connect
muscles to the bones, and transferring mechanical loads, which allows structural
movement. Tendons can become injured by overuse, injury, or other degenerative
diseases that affect the tendons ability to function, and cause pain or disability may be
experienced. Different approaches in tendons healing and regeneration have been
administrated from sutures, surgery, and recently biomolecular scaffolds like
hydrogels and scaffolds. However, these approaches have certain difficulties, such as
a low-level interaction with the native tissues, potential immune response rejection,
and shortage of suitable materials to use in clinic. In this study, a composite scaffold
comprising of silk fibroin (SF), Polylactic acid and copper doped cerium oxide was
fabricated through electrospinning. The prepared scaffold was characterized by
various techniques. FTIR was used for confirmation of polymeric functional groups in
the scaffold. Evaluation of hydrophilicity, swelling, porosity and density of the
scaffold showed that results were in optimal range that hold promise for future
clinical applications, facilitating cell proliferation and promoting cell attachment to
host tissues. Morphology and fiber alignment of synthesized scaffolds was confirmed
by SEM. Obtained results confirm that the synthesized scaffolds were in agreement
with the structure of tendon tissues. In vitro degradation studies proved that the
composite scaffold demonstrated a favorable degradation rate matching the
regeneration period of alveolar tendon. From all the results, it can be concluded that
this synthesized composite will be an encouraging biomaterial for tendon
regeneration.
