Incorporation of hydroxyapatite and cerium oxide nanoparticle scaffold as an antibacterial filler matrix for biomedical applications

Abstract

Managing bone healing is essential for preventing problems such as non-union, bacterial infection, structural instability, psychological, and physical damage in patients. The need to use antibiotics less often has prompted researchers to look at possible substitutes, such as nanoparticles. In this investigation, we choose to employ cerium oxide nanoparticles due to their unique antibacterial properties based on redox reactions. The cerium oxide–hydroxyapatite composite was synthesized, calcined, and ball-milled to create a fine CeO₂-HA powder. Luffa cylindrica sponge was used to prepare the scaffold, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to investigate the structural and morphological features. Rapid upregulation of osteogenesis marker genes confirmed that CeO₂-HA nanoparticles in the scaffolds promoted osteoblast cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. The cell viability test was conducted by MTT assay. When the CeO₂-HA composite was cultured with S. aureus, it showed signs of having more antibacterial efficacy than pure HA.