Nanostructured magnetic Mg2SiO4-CoFe2O4 composite scaffold with multiple capabilities for bone tissue regeneration.

Multifunctional magnetic 3D scaffolds are recently of particular interest because of their applications in hyperthermia-based therapy and localized drug delivery beside of their basic properties to be applied in bone tissue regeneration. In the current study, a magnetic nanocomposite is designed and synthesized through a two-step synthesis strategy in which CoFe2O4 nanoparticles are prepared via sol-gel combustion method and then they are coated through sol-gel method with Mg2SiO4. The characterization relates to the nanocomposite shows that Mg2SiO4-CoFe2O4 is successfully synthesized and it has a core-shell structure. Then, 3D scaffolds are fabricated through polymer sponge technique from the nanocomposite. Physiochemical and biological properties of the scaffolds are assessed in vitro amongst which bioactivity, biodegradability, mechanical properties, hyperthermia capability, controlled release potential, antibacterial activity, cell compatibility and attachment can be mentioned. The results demonstrate that the scaffolds have high porous structure with interconnected porosity and desirable mechanical properties close to cancellous bone. The magnetic scaffold is biodegradable and bioactive and exhibits controlled release of rifampin as an antibiotic drug up to 96 h. Moreover, in the exposure of different magnetic fields it has potential to produce heat for different kinds of hyperthermia-based therapies. The antibacterial activity of drug-loaded scaffold is assessed against S. aureus bacteria. The results suggest that Mg2SiO4-CoFe2O4 nanocomposite scaffold with multiple capabilities has a great potential to be applied in the case of large bone defects which are caused by tumors to not only eradicate remained cancerous tissues, but also prevent infection after surgery and regenerate bone defect.