Intrafibrillar calcium carbonate mineralization of electrospinning polyvinyl alcohol/collagen films with improved mechanical and bioactive properties†

Collagen films play an essential role in guided bone-regeneration (GBR) techniques, which create space, promote cell adhesion, and induce osteogenic differentiation. It is therefore crucial to design appropriate GBR films to facilitate bone regeneration. However, current electrospun collagen scaffolds used as bioactive materials have limited clinical applications due to their poor mechanical properties. In this study, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/collagen (Col) films were electrospun by mixing PVA and type I collagen solution. For the first time, the intrafibrillar mineralization of aragonite nanocrystals within the PVA/Col fibrils was achieved, resulting in the formation of a hierarchical, bioactive film. The PVA/Col–CaCO₃ film exhibited good mechanical properties, with hardness and Young's modulus values of 211.6 ± 0.1 MPa and 5.6 ± 1.7 GPa, respectively. Furthermore, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) inoculated onto the PVA/Col–CaCO₃ film demonstrated robust adhesion and proliferation. The mineralized fibrils effectively stimulated the growth of BMSCs while suppressing cell apoptosis. Besides, the PVA/Col–CaCO₃ film significantly induced the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, revealing its potential biomedical applications in hard tissue engineering.