Brief communication (Original). Preparation of a novel porous scaffold from poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)/hydroxyapatite

Abstract

Background: Scaffolds for bone tissue engineering must meet functional requirements, porosity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. Different polymeric scaffolds have been designed to satisfy these properties. Composite materials could improve mechanical properties compared with polymers, and structural integrity and flexibility compared with brittle ceramics. Objective: Fabricate poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) /hydroxyapatite (HA) porous scaffolds by freezeextraction method, and evaluate the possibility for optimizing their biocompatibility by changing their HA content. Methods: Porous PLGA/HA composites structure were prepared by freezing a polymer solution, and then the solvent was extracted by a non-solvent and subsequently air-dried. The scaffolds were coated with triblock copolymer and sterilized by ultraviolet light. Human mesenchymal stem cells were cultured on the prepared scaffolds and were studied after three days by 4, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) fluorescence microscopy. Results: Microstructural studies with SEM showed the formation of about 50 micrometer size porous structure and interconnected porosity so that cells were adhered well into the structure of the coated samples. DAPI fluorescence microscopy showed more cell adhesion to the coated scaffolds and cell diffusion into the pores are visible. Direct assay of cell proliferation performed with MTT test showed cell growing on the scaffold similar to or more than on control samples. Conclusion:The triblock-coated PLGA/HA porous scaffolds may provide cell adhesion and proliferation, demonstrating their potential application in bone engineering.

Polymeric scaffolds as stem cell carriers in bone repair

“…Moreover, small intestinal mucosa SIS‐loaded PLGA scaffolds were prepared by solvent casting/particle leaching (Kim et al ., ); bone formation on an SIS–PLGA hybrid scaffold as a natural–synthetic scaffold was better than that on a PLGA‐only scaffold. Moreover, the important role of HA was evaluated by seeding scaffolds with MSCs in vitro (Nazarpak et al ., ; Yun et al ., ; Zhang and Chen, ) and in vivo (He et al ., ; Kim et al ., ), showing a significant increase in bone formation in terms of mineralization and expression of bone‐specific genetic markers. PLGA scaffold chemical modification could also be possible with a mixture of fibrin and hyaluronic acid (HY) (Kang et al ., ): fibrin/HY used as a vehicle for drug delivery coating of the scaffold significantly enhanced initial cell attachment and in vitro release of BMP‐2; the transplantation of undifferentiated ADCs inoculated on BMP‐2‐loaded, fibrin/HY‐coated scaffolds resulted in a more improved bone formation and mineralization.…”

A new classification method of nanotechnology for design integration in biomaterials

“…For a material to be used as a scaffold or a template for bone repair, it often needs to have biocompatibility, biodegradability and holes suitable for cell growth. Figure 3a shows the preparation of the degradable material poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)/hydroxyapatite after the processes of water ultrasonication, refrigeration and air-drying [19]. The morphology result showed that the average pore diameter was 50 mm, which is larger than the 10 mm required for cell infiltration as verified by cell experiments in vitro [21].…”