Biodegradable glutamic acid loaded polycaprolactone nanofibrous scaffold for controlled dentin mineralization

Abstract

This study aims to develop glutamic acid (Glu) loaded nanofibrous scaffolds using polycaprolactone (PCL) and nanohydroxyapatite (nHA) for applications in dentin mineralization. The scaffolds were fabricated by electrospinning technique and characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and water contact angle measurements. The resulting PCL/nHA/Glu scaffolds showed bead-free, randomly aligned nanofibers with high hydrophilicity and controlled glutamic acid release. Furthermore, these scaffolds demonstrated excellent cell viability, adhesion, and proliferation with human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs). The scaffolds also exhibited excellent three-dimensional mineralization and controlled biodegradation in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) duration with 14 and 21 days when compared to PCL and PCL/nHA nanofibers. These results suggest that PCL/nHA/Glu nanofibrous scaffolds can be a potential biomaterial for dentin remineralization applications.