De novo bone formation on macro/microporous silk and silk/nano-sized calcium phosphate scaffolds

Macro/microporous silk/nano-sized calcium phosphate scaffolds (SC16) with bioactive and superior physicochemical properties are currently being developed. In this study, we evaluated the new bone formation ability in rat femur of the SC16 scaffolds in vivo, using silk fibroin scaffolds (S16) as control. The CaP distribution profile in the scaffolds was characterized by micro-computed tomography and the CaP phase was found to be distributed homogeneously in the SC16 scaffolds. Mineralization was only observed in SC16 scaffolds, and both scaffolds gradually degraded with time. By staining the explants, new bone growth was observed directly on the SC16 surface and with higher density than that observed on the S16 scaffolds. These results demonstrated that the SC16 hybrid scaffolds are osteoconductive and can be good candidates for bone tissue engineering as they promote superior de novo bone formation.