10.57647/jnsc.2026.1601.01

Silver Nanoparticle-Decorated PCL Scaffolds: In-Vitro Antimicrobial Activity and Effects on Osteogenic Cell Responses

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  • Xiaogang Zhou1,
  • An’nan Hu1,
  • Jian Zhou*1,
  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China

Received: 13-09-2025

Revised: 16-10-2025

Accepted: 02-11-2025

Published in Issue 28-02-2026

Copyright (c) 2026 Xiaogang Zhou, An’nan Hu, Jian Zhou (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Zhou, X., Hu, A., & Zhou, J. (2026). Silver Nanoparticle-Decorated PCL Scaffolds: In-Vitro Antimicrobial Activity and Effects on Osteogenic Cell Responses. Journal of Nanostructure in Chemistry, 16(1 (February 2026). https://doi.org/10.57647/jnsc.2026.1601.01
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Abstract

To engineer and evaluate silver nanoparticle-decorated polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds that simultaneously provide antibacterial activity and support osteogenic cell responses for bone tissue engineering. Methods: Electrospun PCL scaffolds were functionalized by in situ chemical reduction of AgNO₃ to generate uniformly distributed AgNPs and then characterized by TEM/XRD, EDS/XPS, FTIR/XRD, and porosity analyses. Antibacterial performance was tested against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli by disk diffusion and CFU assays, while MC3T3-E1 preosteoblast responses were assessed by CCK-8 proliferation, ALP activity, and osteogenic gene  expression. Results: AgNPs averaged ~22 nm; surface silver content was ~3.2 at% (~0.8 wt%), yielding sustained Ag⁺ release of ~0.4 μg per 50 mg scaffold over 21 days (~80% by day 14). PCL–Ag scaffolds produced inhibition zones of 12.5 ± 0.5 mm (S. aureus) and 11.0 ± 0.4 mm (E. coli) and achieved >99.9% bacterial reduction in suspension. MC3T3-E1 proliferation increased relative to PCL controls (day-7 OD450 2.50 ± 0.15 vs. 2.08 ± 0.12; p<0.01). Early osteogenesis was enhanced, with ALP 1.8× at day 7 and 1.5× at day 14, accompanied by upregulated RUNX2 and BMP2; scaffold porosity and PCL crystallinity were preserved. Conclusions: In situ AgNP decoration confers durable antibacterial activity while promoting osteogenic cell functions, indicating a promising infection-resistant platform for bone regeneration.

Keywords

  • Antibacterial efficacy,
  • Biomaterial characterization,
  • Nanofibrous scaffold,
  • Osteogenic differentiation,
  • Silver ion release
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