Synthesis and Fabrication of Metformin-Functionalized Magnetic Hydroxyapatite Scaffold via Electrospinning for Enhanced Bone Regeneration

this study presents a novel metforminfunctionalized magnetic hydroxyapatite scaffold designed to enhance bone regeneration in tissue engineering applications. Hydroxyapatite (HA), known for its biocompatibility and bioactivity, is modified with metformin to improve its osteogenic properties. The incorporation of a magnetic feature aims to further enhance osteogenic potential and facilitate scaffold integration within bone tissue. The synthesis involves the preparation of magnetic nano-hydroxyapatite, followed by the grafting of metformin onto the magnetic HA. The functionalized nanoparticle is then incorporated into the polycaprolactone (PCL) electrospinning solution to fabricate the nanocomposite scaffold. Characterization techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and mechanical testing, are utilized to evaluate the morphology, chemical structure, and mechanical properties of both the synthesized nanoparticles and the nanofiber scaffold. Mechanical testing reveals that $\mathrm{PCL} / \mathrm{HA}^{2}-\mathrm{Fe}_{3} \mathrm{O}_{4}$-MET Nanofibers exhibit a 4.2 -fold increase in ultimate tensile strength and a $\mathbf{1. 3 6}$-fold increase in Young’s modulus compared to PCL Nanofibers, indicating significantly enhanced strength and stiffness. In vitro biological assessments demonstrate improved cell viability for PCL/HA Fe<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</inf>O<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">4</inf>-MET Nanofibers in MTT assays and show a 1.5 -fold increase in calcium deposits in Alizarin Red quantification, highlighting the scaffold’s superior biocompatibility and osteogenic potential.