Electrospinning of keratin/hydroxyapatite nanofibre scaffolds for bone tissue engineering

Keratin has many useful properties such as biocompatibility and biodegradability [1] and it supports the growth and adhesion of fibroblasts [2] and osteoblasts [3]. Keratin was extracted from wool by sulphitolysis and keratin powder was obtained. Keratin was dissolved in a solvent and mixed with hydroxyapatite (HA). HA is widely used in bone reconstruction based on its osteoconductivity. It has been proposed both as 3d scaffold and as bioactive signal in polymer based composites. Keratin has been electrospun into nanofibres from solutions of formic acid. Unfortunately, HA particles are not stable in acidic media, therefore in this work water was used as solvent. However, electrospinning keratin from water solution is not an easy task.