Nanofibrillated cellulose/cyclodextrin based 3D scaffolds loaded with raloxifene hydrochloride for bone regeneration.

This study intended to design novel nanofibrillated cellulose/cyclodextrin-based 3D scaffolds loaded with raloxifene hydrochloride for bone regeneration. The scaffolds were prepared using two different types of cyclodextrins namely; beta-cyclodextrin and methyl-beta-cyclodextrin. The prepared scaffolds were evaluated by characterizing their porosity, compressive strength, in-vitro drug release, FT-IR and XRD as well as their morphological properties using SEM. Results presented that the prepared scaffolds were highly porous, additionally, the scaffold containing drug/beta-cyclodextrin kneaded complex (SC5) showed the most controlled drug release pattern with the least burst effect and reached almost complete release at 480 h. The in-vitro cytocompatibility and regenerative effect of the chosen scaffold (SC5) was assessed using Saos-2 cell line. Results proved that SC5 was biocompatible. Moreover, it enhanced the cell adhesion, alkaline phosphatase enzyme expression and calcium ion deposition which are essential factors for bone mineralization. The obtained observations presented a novel, safe and propitious approach for bone engineering.