in vitro and in vivo evaluation of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate)/carbon nanotubes electrospun scaffolds for periodontal ligament tissue engineering

Statement of the problem: tissue engineering was an idea, today it has becomes a potential therapy for several tissues in dentistry such as periodontal disease and oral mucosa. purpose: in this experimental study, periodontal regeneration is one of the earliest clini-cal disciplines that has achieved therapeutic application in tissue engineering. the aim of the present study was to prepare electrospun poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) (phb)/1% car-bon nanotubes (cnts) scaffolds for periodontal regeneration. materials and method: 1% w/v of cnts was added to the polymer solutions and elec-trospinned. physical properties of the scaffolds were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (sem) and universal testing machine. chemical characterization of the scaffolds was also assessed by fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ftir). biologi-cal properties of the scaffolds were also evaluated in vitro by culturing periodontal liga-ment stem cells (pdlscs) on the scaffolds for 10 days and in vivo by implanting the scaffolds in a rat model for 5 weeks. results: results showed that the scaffolds mimicked fibrous connective tissue of the (pdl). cnts improved the mechanical properties, similar to 23-55 years old human pdl. in vitro biocompatibility study showed more attachment and proliferation of the pdlscs for phb/1%cnts scaffolds compared to the phb controls. in vivo study showed that cnts in the scaffolds caused mild foreign body type giant cell reaction, moderate vascularization, and mild inflammation. conclusion: the results showed that the phb/1%cnts composite scaffolds might be potentially useful in periodontal regeneration.