Poly-ε-Caprolactone/Fibrin-Alginate Scaffold: A New Pro-Angiogenic Composite Biomaterial for the Treatment of Bone Defects

Abstract

We hypothesized that a composite of 3D porous melt-electrowritten poly-ɛ-caprolactone (PCL) coated throughout with a porous and slowly biodegradable fibrin/alginate (FA) matrix would accelerate bone repair due to its angiogenic potential. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the open pore structure of the FA matrix was maintained in the PCL/FA composites. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry showed complete coverage of the PCL fibres by FA, and the PCL/FA crystallinity was decreased compared with PCL. In vitro cell work with osteoprogenitor cells showed that they preferentially bound to the FA component and proliferated on all scaffolds over 28 days. A chorioallantoic membrane assay showed more blood vessel infiltration into FA and PCL/FA compared with PCL, and a significantly higher number of bifurcation points for PCL/FA compared with both FA and PCL. Implantation into a rat cranial defect model followed by microcomputed tomography, histology, and immunohistochemistry after 4- and 12-weeks post operation showed fast early bone formation at week 4, with significantly higher bone formation for FA and PCL/FA compared with PCL. However, this phenomenon was not extrapolated to week 12. Therefore, for long-term bone regeneration, tuning of FA degradation to ensure syncing with new bone formation is likely necessary.

Application of Platelet-rich Plasma (PRP) with Different Scaffolds in Tissue Engineering

“…The fibrin gel scaffold showed an ideal combination of mechanical characteristics and cell viability compared to other groups (25). Also, the implantation of polyε-caprolactone/fibrin-alginate scaffold into rat cranial defect model could regenerate the cranial bone defect in rats 4 -12 weeks post-operation (26). However, we suggest further studies to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of PRP on cell proliferation and cartilage regeneration in vivo using mechanical scaffolds.…”

Effect of Pore Characteristics and Alkali Treatment on the Physicochemical and Biological Properties of a 3D-Printed Polycaprolactone Bone Scaffold

“…During NaOH treatment, the characteristic peaks of the PCL scaffolds were preserved. 25 , 26 After NaOH treatment, the characteristic peaks of PCL scaffolds were well-retained; however, no broadband is clearly observable in the 3200–3600 cm –1 range, suggesting a lower content of OH groups. 27 …”

“…The characteristic peaks of the untreated PCL were observed at 2944 and 2865 cm –1 due to the CH 2 stretching, while ester bonds (CO) were confirmed at 1720 cm –1 . During NaOH treatment, the characteristic peaks of the PCL scaffolds were preserved. , After NaOH treatment, the characteristic peaks of PCL scaffolds were well-retained; however, no broadband is clearly observable in the 3200–3600 cm –1 range, suggesting a lower content of OH groups …”

Evaluation of Alkaline-Treated Polycaprolactone and Zr-Hydroxyapatite as a Drug Delivery System in Dentistry

“…The peaks with moderate %T were revealed by 3M-PCL, and those with the weakest %T were apparent for the unmodified PCL. Presumably, 5M-PCL sample was constituted by the most shortened PCL fragments with the least numbers of the ε-caprolactone units of the fragments compared to 3M-PCL and the parent PCL counterparts (21) . It was possible to increase the magnitude of PCL fragmentation by using the more concentrated alkaline solution (22) .…”