A fast method for in vitro biomineralization of PVA/alginate/biphasic calcium phosphate hydrogel

• Porous BPS hydrogel was fabricated. • BPS hydrogel was fast biomineralized using urease. • The bone-like apatite was formed on biomineralized BPS hydrogels. • The cytocompatibility of biomimeralized BPS hydrogels was improved. The development of biomineralized hydrogels with excellent cytocompatibility is of great importance for tissue engineering applications. Here, porous polyvinyl alcohol/alginate/biphasic calcium phosphate (BPS) hydrogels were fabricated via chemical and physical crosslinking methods, and the BPS hydrogels were in vitro biomineralized using urease in saturated calcium-phosphorus solution. For comparison, the BPS hydrogels were also treated using simulated body fluid (SBF) and Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium with fetal bovine serum (DMEM-FBS), respectively. The physicochemical characterizations confirmed that bone-like apatite was quickly formed on the urease-biomineralized BPS hydrogels compared to the SBF and DMEM-FBS treated hydrogels. Additionally, the bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), adhered and proliferated on the biomineralized hydrogels, were systematically analyzed using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8). This paper demonstrated the potential urease for fast in vitro biomineralization on hydrogels to improve the cytocompatibility for bone tissue engineering applications.