Journal of Dental Medicine

  Background and Aims: Until now, different types of scaffolds are presented for hard tissue engineering and the research continues to find the best scaffold. The aim of this study was to prepare scaffolds using two types of composite materials, ChitosanTriCalcium Phosphate (C/TCP) and ChitosanTriCalcium Phosphate/ Hydroxy apatite (C/TCP/ HA) and to add either 10% or 20% gelatin to compare their influence on swelling ratio of the scaffolds and on their affinities towards Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSCs).

  Materials and Methods: Composite scaffolds containing 10 or 20 percent of gelatin were prepared by freeze drying method. To determine the percentage of water absorption, swelling ratio studies were performed. Cell attachment and cell viability of the composite scaffolds were studied using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and MTT ( dimethyl-thiazol-diphenyltetrazolium bromide ) assay. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Turkey’s post hoc test. A P-value of <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

  Results: The C/TCP scaffold and scaffolds containing 20% gelatin showed good swelling character. The macroporous composite scaffolds exhibited different pore structures. The biological response of DPS cells on C/TCP scaffold, C/TCP scaffold containing 20% gelatin, and C/TCP/HA scaffold was superior in terms of cell attachment, proliferation, and spreading compared to the other scaffolds (P<0.05).

  Conclusion: Considering the limitations of this in vitro studies, the results demonstrated that enhanced gelatin content in the C/TCP scaffolds do not improve initial cell adhesion and proliferation of the DPSCs on these scaffolds.