3D Interpenetrated Graphene Foam/58S Bioactive Glass Scaffolds for Electrical-Stimulation-Assisted Differentiation of Rabbit Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Enhance Bone Regeneration

Interpenetrating network structures from Graphene foam (GF) and 58S bioactive glass (BG) are synthesized to combine the highly mechanical stability and conductivity from graphene with the superb bioactivity and biocompatibility from 58S BG. GF/58S BG scaffolds were prepared via multiple steps including chemical vapor deposition (CVD), spin-coating, and freeze drying methods. Simulated body fluid test confirms the highly bioactivity of the as-synthesized GF/58S BG scaffold after incorporating of sol–gel derived 58S BG. The GF/58S BG scaffold also remains good electrical conductivity of graphene after combination of 58S BG. Biocompatibility of both GF and GF/58S BG scaffold against the rabbit mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs) is studied. Both GF and GF/58S BG scaffold facilitate the adhesion and extension of rMSCs, while the GF/58S BG scaffold shows a higher proliferation. Electrical stimulation was further applied on the both GF and GF/58S BG scaffold. Both scaffolds promote the osteogenic differentiation of rMSCs, while GF is more sensitive to the alternating electrical current. In vivo results based on the critical-sized radius defect rabbit model confirmed that the resulting GF/58S BG scaffold considerably promoted the formation of new bone. Our studies suggest that the assynthesized GF/58S BG scaffolds are the promising candidates for bone tissue engineering and electrically stimulated regeneration considering unique bioactive, biocompatible, conductive and stable properties of the resulting nanoscaffolds.