In vitro investigation of osteogenic differentiation and bone regeneration potential of magnesium oxide nanoparticles incorporated into bacterial cellulose/silk fibroin scaffolds

This study developed porous scaffolds composed of silk fibroin (SF), bacterial cellulose (BC), and magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgONPs) via freeze-drying to investigate their potential for bone tissue engineering (BTE). The scaffolds were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and assessed for porosity, compressive strength, swelling ratio, and degradation rate. Biological evaluations included cell attachment, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs). Results indicated that the incorporation of MgONPs influenced scaffold properties, leading to a decrease in pore size and swelling capacity (p = 0.001). MTT assay confirmed high cell viability across all scaffolds, with BC/SF/MgONPs demonstrating enhanced biocompatibility after 72 h (p = 0.016 vs. SF). Furthermore, BC/SF and BC/SF/MgONPs scaffolds exhibited minimal hemolysis, suggesting improved hemocompatibility. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and alizarin red S staining analyses revealed significantly increased osteogenic potential for BC/SF/MgONPs scaffolds compared to SF scaffolds (p = 0.027 and p = 0.002, respectively vs. SF). Consistent with these findings, BC/SF/MgONPs scaffolds led to a significant increase in the expression of early and late osteogenic markers, namely RUNX2 (p = 0.001), ALP (p = 0.002), and BGLAP (p = 0.016). These findings demonstrate that BC/SF/MgONPs scaffolds may represent an effective system for promoting the osteogenic differentiation of hASCs and hold promise for BTE applications.