Nanoengineered bioactive 3D composite scaffold: A unique combination of graphene oxide and nanotopography for tissue engineering applications

A tissue engineering composite scaffold serves as a temporary skeleton to accommodate and stimulate new tissue growth. Here we report the development of a biodegradable porous composite scaffold made from the bioactive chitosan (CHN) and hyaluronic acid (HYA) with graphene oxide (GO). The CHN-HYA-GO composite scaffold was successfully prepared and compared with CHN-HYA composite scaffold and found that CHN-HYA-GO significantly improved mechanical and biological properties. Moreover, the CHN-HYA-GO composite scaffold possessed an adequate porosity, swelling behavior and degradation rate to mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) with a favorable cell attachment and proliferation. The cells in contact with CHN-HYA-GO composite scaffolds remained viable and exhibited a high growth potential. Therefore the uniquely fabricated CHN-HYA-GO composite scaffolds possess great potential for various tissue engineering applications.