Description
This research activity was aimed at the development of composite bioactive scaffolds made of
biodegradable three-arm branched-star poly(ε-caprolactone) (∗PCL), hydroxyapatite nanoparticles
(HNPs) and clodronate (CD), a bisphosphonate that has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment
of various bone diseases and as an anti-inflammatory drug. During the experimental work, the
processing conditions for the fabrication of fibrous meshes, by either electrospinning or wetspinning,
were optimized. Stemming from a previous research activity on electrospinning of ∗PCL,
∗PCL/HNPs 3D meshes were developed, evaluating the influence of fabrication parameters on the
fibres’ morphology. By exploiting the binding affinity of bisphosphonates for hydroxyapatite, a
methodology was set up for obtaining a physical linkage between CD and HNPs, with the aim
of having a dual bioactive system loaded into ∗PCL fibrous mats. Fibres loaded with either CD
or CD–HNP particles were thus produced and analysed by scanning electron microscopy for their
morphology and by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy for their elemental composition
; Piras, A. M. 
