Bone-like apatite coating of polymeric substrates by means of biomimetic process is a possible way to enhance the bone bonding
ability of the materials. The created apatite layer is believed to have an ability to provide a favorable environment for
osteoblasts or osteoprogenitor cells. The purpose of this study is to obtain bone-like apatite layer onto chitosan fiber mesh
tissue engineering scaffolds, by means of using a simple biomimetic coating process and to determine the influence of this
coating on osteoblastic cell responses. Chitosan fiber mesh scaffolds produced by a previously described wet spinning methodology
were initially wet with a Bioglass
®–water suspension by means of a spraying methodology and then immersed in a simulated body fluid (SBF) mimicking physiological
conditions for one week. The formation of apatite layer was observed morphologically by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
As a result of the use of the novel spraying methodology, a fine coating could also be observed penetrating into the pores,
that is clearly within the bulk of the scaffolds. Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), Electron Dispersive
Spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis also confirmed the presence of apatite-like layer. A human osteoblast-like
cell line (SaOs-2) was used for the direct cell contact assays. After 2 weeks of culture, samples were observed under the
SEM. When compared to the control samples (unmodified chitosan fiber mesh scaffolds) the cell population was found to be higher
in the Ca–P biomimetic coated scaffolds, which indicates that the levels of cell proliferation on this kind of scaffolds could
be enhanced. Furthermore, it was also observed that the cells seeded in the Ca–P coated scaffolds have a more spread and flat
morphology, which reveals an improvement on the cell adhesion patterns, phenomena that are always important in processes such
as osteoconduction.