Effectiveness of a biodegradable 3D polylactic acid/poly(ɛ‐caprolactone)/hydroxyapatite scaffold loaded by differentiated osteogenic cells in a critical‐sized radius bone defect in rat

Abstract

The effects of a scaffold made of polylactic acid, poly (ɛ‐caprolactone) and hydroxyapatite by indirect 3D printing method with and without differentiated bone cells was tested on the regeneration of a critical radial bone defect in rat. The scaffold characterization and mechanical performance were determined by the rheology, scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. The defects were created in forty Wistar rats which were randomly divided into the untreated, autograft, scaffold cell‐free, and differentiated bone cell‐seeded scaffold groups (n = 10 in each group). The expression level of angiogenic and osteogenic markers, analyzed by quantitative real time‐polymerase chain reaction (in vitro), significantly improved (p < 0.05) in the scaffold group compared to the untreated one. Radiology and computed tomography scan demonstrated a significant improvement in the cell‐seeded scaffold group compared to the untreated one (p < 0.001). Biomechanical, histopathological, histomorphometric, and immunohistochemical investigations showed significantly better regeneration scores in the cell‐seeded scaffold and autograft groups compared to the untreated group (p < 0.05). The cell‐seeded scaffold and autograft groups did show comparable results on the 80th day post‐treatment (p > 0.05), however, most results in the scaffold group were significantly higher than the untreated group (p < 0.05). Differentiated bone cells can enhance bone regeneration potential of the scaffold.

Towards Polycaprolactone-Based Scaffolds for Alveolar Bone Tissue Engineering: A Biomimetic Approach in a 3D Printing Technique

“…However, adhesion o HA particles was observed in several scaffold areas. This result suggests that HA ates a conducive environment for cells to attach and proliferate within the fabricat fold [117]. Therefore, a cell-free scaffold can support mild repair effects.…”

“…This is crucial because there are differences in the crystal st ity between synthetic HA and in vivo mineralised HA [163]. On t HA with the same Ca/P ratio as bone minerals readily converts The most limiting feature of HA from an engineering perspective increase the mechanical strength and structure of the final scaffold introduced HA particles into the PCL matrix [117,164]. Ongoing res evenly distributed high HA content, enabling the body to accept th…”

“…The most limiting feature of HA from an engineering perspective is its high brittleness. To increase the mechanical strength and structure of the final scaffold, many researchers have introduced HA particles into the PCL matrix [117,164]. Ongoing research aims to achieve an evenly distributed high HA content, enabling the body to accept the bone graft material.…”

“…Although a decrease in pH occurs, PCL degradation products induce fewer pH changes in the local medium than other aliphatic polyesters [296]. Incorporating ceramic particles into a PCL matrix exhibits buffering behaviour [117]. However, a comparison of the degradation kinetics of PCL-based scaffolds containing different ceramic materials still needs to be included [34].…”

Biodegradable Polymers in Veterinary Medicine—A Review

“…Polylactic acid/polycaprolactone/hydroxyapatite (PLA/PCL/HA) scaffolds loaded with bone marrow stem cells or differentiated bone cells proved effective in bone regeneration in Wistar rats with critical bone defects. The results of immunohistochemical, histopathological, histomorphometric, and biomechanical analyses demonstrated significantly enhanced bone healing in both scaffold and autograft groups compared to the untreated group, and the effects of using cell-loaded scaffolds were similar to the autograft [ 167 , 168 , 169 ]. Moreover, PLA or PLA/PCL/HA scaffolds can also be loaded with osteoinductive drugs such as purmorphamine or nandrolone to increase healing quality and shorten bone regeneration time effectively [ 170 , 171 ].…”