Nanotechnologies offer a rational approach to the development of scaffolds for tissue engineering. The polymeric biomaterial can be manipulated at any level and can be designed with specific geometries in the range from 1 to 100nm.

Synergistic effects deriving from the interaction with inorganic components may lead to a new class of hybrid systems whose mechanical and chemical properties can be entirely tailored to maximize bio-affinity. Using ceramic oxides particles as dispersed phase may result in improving the polymer-based composite structure both in terms of mechanical and biomimetical properties. It is known that free radical formation during cellular growth limits cells proliferation. Such problem may be overcome by using ceramic oxides as dopants such as cerium oxide (CeO₂), to act as radical scavengers.

Our study relies on synthesis and characterization of CeO₂ loaded PLGA scaffolds for stem cells culturing in vitro. Cells capability to adhere and proliferate on newly designed scaffolds has been analyzed with molecular and electronic microscopy analysis, vitality and toxicologic assays. Results show the tuning effect exerted by ceramic load in terms of concentration and grain size on cell systems through the modification of scaffold’s mechanical and topographical properties, respectively. Scaffold’s stiffness and roughness conditions able to improve cellular adhesion and proliferation respect to unloaded PLGA supports have been identified. CeO₂ scavenging property towards cell system has been investigated by comparison with TiO₂ and SiO₂ loaded PLGA scaffolds, at given stiffness and roughness. Results suggest that CeO₂ exerts some kind of stimuli towards cell culture able to promote larger adhesion and proliferation maybe related to CeO₂ anti-oxidative properties.

Moreover, cells have shown spontaneous tendency to coordinate along oriented arrays once seeded onto μ-scale pre-patterned PLGA scaffolds of suitable geometry, regardless the material employed.

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