Zebrafish as a potential biomaterial testing platform for bone tissue engineering application: A special note on chitosan based bioactive materials.

Biomaterials function as an essential aspect of tissue engineering and have a profound impact on cell growth and subsequent tissue regeneration. The development of new biomaterials requires a potential platform to understand the host-biomaterial interaction, which is crucial for successful biomaterial implantation. Biomaterials analyzed in rodent models for in vivo research are cost-effective but tedious, and the practice has many technical difficulties. As an alternative, zebrafish provide an excellent biomaterial testing platform over the current rodent models. During growth and recovery, zebrafish bone morphogenesis shows a variety of inductive signals involved in the cycle that are close to those influencing differentiation of bone and cartilage in mammals, including humans. This platform is cheap, optically transparent, quick to change genes, and provides reliable reproducibility on short life cycles. Chitosan is a well-known biomaterial in the field of tissue engineering. In view of its documented use in bone regeneration, the biological characterization of chitosan-based bioactive materials in the zebrafish model has been featured in an outstanding note. We, therefore, outlined this review of the zebrafish as a potential in vivo research model for the rapid characterization of the biological properties of new biomaterials for bone tissue engineering applications.

Kaempferol-zinc(II) complex synthesis and evaluation of bone formation using zebrafish model.

Flavonoids are known for their wide range of bioactive properties including beneficial effect on bone formation. Their intense metal ion chelating capacity endorsed their nomination as a new biomaterial for biomedical applications. The present study examined the functional role of Kaemferal-Zinc(II) (Kaem-Zn) complex in bone formation, in vitro and in vivo. The cyto-compatibility assay confirmed that upto 25 µM of Kaem and Kaem-Zn complex was non-toxic. In fact, it facilitates ALP activity and accumulation of calcium in osteoblast; it was confirmed by Alizarin red and von Kossa staining. In addition to this, osteoblast markers, Runx2, type 1 col., ALP mRNAs expression, and osteocalcin and osteonectin secretory proteins level were also induced by the Kaem-Zn complex. Furthermore, bone forming ability of Kaem and Kaem-Zn was assessed by zebrafish model. The optimal concentration of Kaem and Kaem-Zn was determined by the viability assay of Zebrafish larvae. Osteoblasts distribution in scale, vertebrae and caudal fin ossification was studied by alizarin red staining accompanied by confocal imaging were carried out in adult zebrafish exposed to Kaem and Kaem-Zn complex. To sum up, our findings showed that Kaem promotes bone growth, and Kaem-Zn complex has further strengthened it. Kaem-Zn complex could be an effectively explored and used use in bone tissue engineering.