Synthesis and Characterizations of Alginate/Agarose Hydrogel Incorporated with Hydroxyapatite Extract Fish Bone for Potential Bone Healing Applications

Objectives: Fabrication of bone replacement materials can be replicated by the natural characteristics such as extracted hydroxyapatite (HA) from fish bones with combinations of alginate (Al) and agarose (Ag) which enhance biocompatibility and create a microenvironment toward promoting bone regeneration. Hence, the aims of this study are to optimize and characterize physicochemical properties of the biocomposite Al-Ag hydrogels loaded with HA extracted from fish bone for potential bone healing applications. Material and Methods: Al/Ag-based hydrogel beads incorporated with fish bone-derived HA were synthesized through ionic cross-linking using calcium chloride. Ammonium phosphate was added as a mineralization agent. The hydrogels were characterized for their physicochemical properties using swelling tests to assess water uptake, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to confirm functional group interactions and HA incorporation, and scanning emission microscope (SEM) to evaluate surface morphology and HA distribution. Results: The swelling tests showed that Al beads swell more than Ag beads due to Al’s higher water absorption. The structure’s elucidation by FT-IR spectroscopy confirmed hydroxyl, carboxyl, carbonate, and phosphate groups, indicating successful HAp integration. The morphology by the SEM images showed a layered structure with uniformly distributed of HA and a stable as well as porous architecture. Conclusion: Blending of Al/Ag-HA biocomposite demonstrated enhanced swelling rates, confirmed HA integration with improving structural properties, and indicated significant potential for bone tissue engineering applications.