Bone regeneration by tissue engineering has extensively employed hydroxyapatite (HA) for bone regeneration due to its positive biological properties. However, the high crystallinity of commercial HA results in a slower biodegradation rate. This study explored the incorporation of pearl powder with calcium phosphate. Two successful synthesis methods yielded pearl/CaP composite particles with different crystallinity, confirmed through XRD patterns.
Physiochemical evaluations, including TGA, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, XRD, XPS, and SEM, provided a comprehensive understanding of structural aspects, revealing chemical bonding between pearl and HA particles. FTIR-PAS results confirmed the presence of both A and B types of carbonated HA. Integration of these particles with chitosan (CS) through freeze-drying produced composite scaffolds with enhanced compressive strength and improved cytocompatibility compared to HA-based CS scaffolds. In vitro cell culture analyses demonstrated a higher proliferation ratio for p/CaP composite scaffolds, especially a 30:70 pearl to CaP ratio. SEM analysis corroborated the positive crosslinking and osteogenesis performance of these scaffolds, emphasizing their potential in bone tissue engineering. However, scaffolds with a high pearl: CaP ratio (50:50) and elevated p/CaP concentrations (50 wt.%) exhibited poor or non-osteogenic behaviour, underscoring the importance of carefully balanced pearl: CaP ratios and p/CaP concentrations for effective osteogenesis.