Gellan is a natural hydrocolloid with thickening properties. from which gellan gum is obtained, used in the medical field, in the food field and in the restoration of ancient works of art, especially books.
Gellan gum (produced by an aerobic fermentation of carbohydrates by Shingomonas elodea) forms a threefold double-helical association. A ‘true gel structure’ of gellan gum is formed by the aggregation of these associations and is mediated by monovalent and/or divalent cations (e.g. Ca2+) (1). Gellan gum has already been processed into mucoadhesive beads with Ketoprofen (2) (a non-steroidal anti inflammatory drug), particles with Ciprofloxacin for dermal applications (3), or as a composite with bioglass for bone tissue regeneration (4).
Osteoinductive biomaterials represent a promising approach to advance bone grafting. Despite promising, the combination of sustained biodegradability, mechanical strength, and biocompatibility in a unique biomaterial that can also support cell performance and bone formation in vivo is demanding. Herein, we developed gellan gum (GG)-hydroxyapatite (HAp) spongy-like hydrogels to mimic the organic (GG) and inorganic (HAp) phases of the bone.
This study also showed that HAp and CaCl2 favored the bioactivity and that cells were able to adhere and spread within the biomaterials up to 21 days of culture. Overall, the possibility to tailor spongy-like hydrogels properties by including calcium as a crosslinker and by varying the amount of HAp will further contribute to understand how these features influence bone cells performance in vitro and bone formation in vivo. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2017 (5).
