Abstract: Objective:To prepare the polycaprolactone(PCL)/type I collagen(COLI)/nano-calcium zirconate(nCZ) composite scaffold for bone tissue regeneration, and to evaluate its performance, biocompatibility and growth of human periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs) effects of bone differentiation. Methods:The PCL/COLI, PCL/COLI/nHA and PCL/COLI/nCZ scaffolds were prepared by the electrospinning technique. The structure and properties of the scaffolds were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), the element composition of the stent was analyzed by an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), and the mechanical properties of the stent were tested by a universal stretching machine. Co-cultivation of the scaffolds was done with PDLCs, CCK-8 method was used to detect cell proliferation, cell morphology was observed by SEM, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and Alizarin red (ARS) staining were used to observe the mineralization ability of each group of scaffolds on PDLCs. Results:The PCL/COLI/nCZ composite scaffold had a porous network structure, and the surface of the composite scaffold with nanomaterials had a rough appearance. The tensile test showed that the PCL/COLI/nCZ composite scaffold had the best mechanical strength among the three composite scaffolds (P<0.05). CCK-8 and scanning electron microscopy showed that PDLCs proliferated stably on the composite scaffold (P>0.05). Co-cultured with PDLCs, the PCL/COLI/nCZ group had more ALP staining and Alizarin Red staining areas than that of the PCL/COLI group (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference from the PCL/COLI/nHA group (P>0.05). Conclusions:The PCL/COLI/nCZ composite scaffold has excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility, and has the potential for osteoinduction, which can be used for bone tissue engineering.

Key words: nano-calcium zirconate, polycaprolactone, type I collagen, electrospinning, human periodontal ligamentcells, bone tissue engineering