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Abstract
Large segmental bone defects can be caused by trauma, tumor resection, osteomyelitis, or other diseases. Numerous approaches to repairing these defects have been investigated; however, there still remains a need for strategies that support sufficient bone regeneration. As tissue engineering approaches have become more appealing, scientists are searching for ideal biomaterials to support bone formation. Pectin is a natural polysaccharide extracted from plant cell walls, which is commonly used in drug delivery and was shown to have interesting effects towards the formation of bone. Hydroxyapatite (HA), which forms bone mineral in the human body, helps to improve mechanical properties and osteoinductivity. In this work, we aimed to develop a multi-biofunctional scaffold for bone regeneration. Pectin and HA were combined to fabricate nanoparticles to serve as a drug carrier. The nanoparticles were then coated onto 3D-printed poly-(lactic acid) (PLA) scaffolds. Nanoparticles and resulting coated scaffolds were characterized to assess their feasibility.