Degradable amorphous scaffolds with enhanced mechanical properties and homogeneous cell distribution produced by a three‐dimensional fiber deposition method

Abstract

The mechanical properties of amorphous, degradable, and highly porous poly(lactide-co-caprolactone) structures have been improved by using a 3D fiber deposition (3DF) method. Two designs of 3DF scaffolds, with 45° and 90° layer rotation, were printed and compared with scaffolds produced by a salt-leaching method. The scaffolds had a porosity range from 64% to 82% and a high interconnectivity, measured by micro-computer tomography. The 3DF scaffolds had 8-9 times higher compressive stiffness and 3-5 times higher tensile stiffness than the salt-leached scaffolds. There was a distinct decrease in the molecular weight during printing as a consequence of the high temperature. The chain microstructure was, however, not affected; the glass transition temperature and the decomposition temperature were constant. Human OsteoBlast-like cells were cultured in vitro and the cell morphology and distribution were observed by scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy. The cell distribution on the 3DF scaffolds was more homogeneous than the salt-leached scaffolds, suggesting that 3DF scaffolds are more suitable as porous biomaterials for tissue engineering. These results show that it is possible to design and optimize the properties of amorphous polymer scaffolds. The 3DF method produce amorphous degradable poly(lactide-co-caprolactone) that are strong and particularly suitable for cell proliferation.

Influence of internal pore architecture on biological and mechanical properties of three‐dimensional fiber deposited scaffolds for bone regeneration

“…A suitable scaffold should have a proper porosity and pore size to allow for cell proliferation and tissue formation, as well as mechanical properties matching those of the tissues to be regenerated and provide a structurally functional support at the implant site . Interconnected porosity is required to maintain cell viability and allow the culture media to flow in order to ensure continuous supply of nutrients, metabolites, waste products removal, and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition …”

Functional Brush-Decorated Poly(globalide) Films by ARGET-ATRP for Bioconjugation

“…Aliphatic polyesters are widely used in various medical applications, such as sutures, stents, bone screws, tissue engineering scaffolds, and drug delivery systems . Depending on the choice of (co)monomers, aliphatic polyesters exhibit tunable thermal and mechanical properties, hydrophilicity and degradation rate, but often lack functional groups for bioconjugation, for example, with peptide ligands or growth factors to improve cell adhesion and enhance cell growth.…”

Assessments for bone regeneration using the polycaprolactone SLUP (salt‐leaching using powder) scaffold

“…6, 8, 10(b) and 6, 8, 10(c)). The SLUP scaffold groups were compared with recently reported studies . Lee et al, Park et al, and Sun et al showed that even if the porosity of salt‐leaching scaffolds were higher than those of 3D‐plotted scaffolds, cell ingrowth rates on the salt‐leaching scaffolds were lower than those on the 3D‐plotted scaffolds due to the poorer pore interconnectivity of the salt‐leaching scaffold.…”

“…Lee et al, Park et al, and Sun et al showed that even if the porosity of salt‐leaching scaffolds were higher than those of 3D‐plotted scaffolds, cell ingrowth rates on the salt‐leaching scaffolds were lower than those on the 3D‐plotted scaffolds due to the poorer pore interconnectivity of the salt‐leaching scaffold. In other words, seeded cells proliferated only on the surfaces of the salt‐leaching scaffold without the observed ingrowth of the 3D‐plotted scaffolds . Lee et al also reported that new bone formations on MSTL scaffolds with relatively lower porosity (prepared via SFF methods) were better than those on GF/PL scaffolds with relatively higher porosity because the pore interconnectivity was better in the MSTL scaffolds .…”