Sterilization of Scaffolds of Calcium Phosphates and Bacterial Cellulose for their Use in Tissue Regeneration

The development of biomaterials for the regeneration of tissues is of great importance, and their demand increases every day, due to the increase of the aging population, the expectation, and quality of life, as well as the increase of the accident rates (traffic and violence). Scaffolds are a three-dimensional structure designed to withstand cellular infiltration, growth, and differentiation in order to improve the development and formation of new tissues. Many biomaterials can be used to make these structures, such as bioceramics and biopolymers. However, few studies have been conducted to evaluate its microbiological contamination and the influence of sterilization methods may have on the structure and properties. The objective of this work was to evaluate different sterilization processes and their influence on the physical-chemical properties of Scaffolds made with calcium phosphate and bacterial cellulose. Three sterilization techniques (steam sterilization, ultraviolet radiation sterilization, and microwave sterilization) were evaluated. The results showed that steam sterilization was effective in eliminating microorganisms. Microwave sterilization significantly reduced the amount of CFU / mL, while ultraviolet radiation sterilization did not show efficacy. Changes in the physical-chemical properties of the Scaffolds evaluated after sterilization was not observed, except a slight darkening in the samples treated by steam sterilization or treated by microwave sterilization due to the presence of sodium alginate in the formulation. It was concluded that the steam sterilization process was the most effective.